Champions League: the apotheosis for Édouard Mendy, European champion with Chelsea
Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy lifting the Champions League won with Chelsea against Manchester City, on May 29, 2021. Pool via REUTERS - DAVID RAMOS
Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow
4 min
Édouard Mendy kept his clean sheet with Chelsea in the Champions League final against Manchester City on Saturday May 29.
With the Blues' 1-0 victory, the goalkeeper reached an extraordinary peak in his career.
Because the former Rennais has a lot to do with this European coronation obtained in Porto.
Publicity
Read more
The story of Édouard Mendy is starting to be well known.
In 2015, at 23, his modest career was at a standstill, and he had to knock on the door of Pôle Emploi to receive unemployment benefits.
Six years later, the goalkeeper is European champion.
While Manchester City were given favorites, the Chelsea Blues won
in the Champions League final on Saturday (1-0)
.
Stronger than Bruce Grobbelaar
This C1 rewards the irresistible trajectory of the Senegalese since 2017-2018, the season of his outbreak in Ligue 2 in Reims.
After two successful seasons at Rennes, Édouard Mendy arrived at Chelsea at the start of this 2020-2021 season.
And it did not take him long to dislodge Kepa Arrizabalaga and
settle in the cage of the Blues
.
Well helped by a solid defense, the No. 16 was not too endangered the Cityzens on Saturday.
The latter only framed one attempt.
But the Lion's 1.97m relieved Chelsea when needed.
The ex-Rennais was very sure when capturing the dangerous center of Sergio Agüero, when the Skyblues rushed to the attack (85th).
Édouard Mendy is only the second African goalkeeper to play in a Champions League final.
The first was Bruce Grobbelaar with Liverpool, in 1984 (1-1, 4-2 victory against AS Roma) and 1985 (1-0 defeat to Juventus in the dramatic final played at Heysel).
And unlike his Zimbabwean elder, the Senegalese did not concede a goal in the final.
See this post on Instagram
A post shared by Chelsea FC (@chelseafc)
" A daydream "
The impermeability of the goalkeeper in this Champions League has been impressive. He conceded only three goals throughout the competition: against his former club Rennes in hens (by Serhou Guirassy, 2-1 victory), against Porto in the second leg quarter-final (by Mehdi Taremi, 1-0 defeat) and against Real Madrid in the first leg (by Karim Benzema, final score 1-1). In total, Édouard Mendy signed 9 clean sheets (matches without conceding a goal), an unprecedented performance for a novice goalkeeper and only achieved by Santiago Canizares with Valencia (2000-2001) and Keylor Navas with Real Madrid (2015-2016) d 'after L'Equipe.
In the history of Senegalese football, Édouard Mendy joins Salif Diao, discreet but real winner of the Champions League 2004-2005 with Liverpool, and Sadio Mané, winner in 2018-2019 with Liverpool as well.
“
I feel like I'm living a daydream.
I gave myself the means to experience these kinds of emotions, these kinds of matches.
Today I take this as a reward with all my family, all those who have suffered with me.
(...) For a footballer, the Champions League is the pinnacle.
Today, it's something extraordinary,
”he told
RMC Sport
.
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Sports
Soccer
UEFA Champions League
Senegal
On the same subject
Champions League: Chelsea offer themselves a second coronation by beating Manchester City
In two months, Senegalese Édouard Mendy conquered Chelsea