Édouard Mendy
Senegal international footballer (born 1992) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Édouard Osoque Mendy (born 1 March 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli. Born in France, he plays for the Senegal national team. In his prime, he was considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Édouard Osoque Mendy | |||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | (1992-03-01) 1 March 1992 (age 32) | |||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Montivilliers, France | |||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||||||
Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Al-Ahli | |||||||||||||||||||
Number | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
1999–2005 | Le Havre Caucriauville | |||||||||||||||||||
2005–2006 | Le Havre | |||||||||||||||||||
2006–2011 | CS Municipaux Le Havre | |||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
2011–2014 | Cherbourg | 26 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
2015–2016 | Marseille II | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
2016–2019 | Reims | 80 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
2019–2020 | Rennes | 25 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
2020–2023 | Chelsea | 75 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
2023– | Al-Ahli | 30 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||
2018– | Senegal | 38 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:26, 11 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:41, 29 January 2024 (UTC) |
Starting his career in his native France, Mendy played in the Le Havre academy before signing professional terms with third division Cherbourg in 2011. Mendy was released in 2014, after which he almost quit football, before getting an opportunity with Marseille's reserves. He established himself as regular in the following seasons at Reims and Rennes.
In 2020, Mendy signed for Premier League club Chelsea for a reported fee of £22 million. In his first season, he immediately broke into the starting line-up, becoming the first African goalkeeper to play for the club's senior team, and kept sixteen clean sheets in the Premier League. Mendy also equalled the record for the most clean sheets in a UEFA Champions League season with nine, and kept another clean sheet in the final to help Chelsea win their second title. He was also awarded both the UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year and The Best FIFA Goalkeeper of 2021, becoming the first African goalkeeper in football's history to win both awards. He would continue as the first choice keeper in the 2021–22 season, before subsequently falling out of favour during 2022–23. In 2023, Mendy signed for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli for a fee of around £16 million.
Eligible to play for Guinea-Bissau and Senegal through descent and France through birth, Mendy initially joined Guinea-Bissau in honour of his father. However, he subsequently switched allegiance to Senegal, where he became the first-choice goalkeeper for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, helping Senegal to a runners-up finish. He helped his nation win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, while also being named the tournament's best goalkeeper, keeping a clean sheet in the final.