Strength to strengthĪ club of Chelsea’s stature provided exactly the platform Mendy needed to develop his gifts to even greater heights. Upon Cech’s recommendation, Chelsea signed Mendy for £22 million. Lampard’s ex-teammate Petr Cech, now working in the back room as Chelsea’s technical and performance advisor, looked at his former club Rennes and saw there someone who could do exactly the same. Impatient with their erratic form under club legend Frank Lampard, Chelsea needed a world-class goalkeeper to displace the flagging Kepa Arrizabalaga. But the moment finally arrived in the summer of 2020. Looking back through Mendy’s astonishing career arc, perhaps the most surprising thing is that a footballing colossus didn’t spot him and snap him up sooner. Mendy exemplified this combination of unyielding pertinacity and consummate goalscoring skill throughout that Covid-marred season as Rennes soared to 3rd place, winning their first ever spot in club football’s most prestigious competition. Mendy showed just how much he had improved in his debut against Strasbourg: Shortly after recovering from a broken finger, he saved a penalty to preserve a shutout in a 2-0 Rennes triumph. The Breton club were stalwarts of Ligue 1 – yet also-rans of the European game who had never played in the Champions League. Mendy’s ever-improving shot-stopping skills, aerial prowess and authority over the defence were all instrumental in Reims’s climb through the league – as he notched up 14 clean sheets, the third highest tally in that season’s Ligue 1.Īfter helping turbocharge Reims from obscurity to the middle ranks of France’s top flight, Mendy moved up a step by joining Rennes at the start of 2019-20. Mendy then established himself as one of the best keepers in France’s top flight, as Reims surged to finish at 8th place in the 2018-19 Ligue 1. Blossoming talentīy the next season Mendy was entrenched as Reims’s first-choice keeper – playing a crucial role in the eastern French club’s 2017-18 Ligue 2 title victory. Luck intervened for Mendy once more, as stalwart Reims keeper Johann Carrasso got sent off five minutes into the first match of the season – allowing Mendy to step in and prove his burgeoning ability. Bernatowitz immediately saw he had a star on his hands: “From the first training session, I could see he was a cut above,” he told The Guardian.īernatowicz put Mendy in touch with an agent who could move him to a Ligue 2 club and get him regular football he joined Reims at the start of 2016-17. An ex-Cherbourg teammate was friends with Marseille goalkeeping coach Dominique Bernatowicz, who was looking for a reserve keeper. (4/4) Zero to hero: The extraordinary career of Senegal’s Édouard Mendyīut another friend’s offer was a different prospect. (3/4) Senegal’s Sadio Mané: From childhood rebel to football superstar (2/4) Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez, from a Paris suburb to the summit of African football It remains to be seen whether Mendy will still be around to enjoy the fruits of his labour but he'll undoubtedly be remembered as part of a historical Rennes side for years to come.(1/4) Mo Salah, Liverpool icon and incarnation of Egypt’s footballing dreams The Rouges et Noir enjoyed a fabulous campaign until the enforced halt in proceedings but did enough to secure a spot in the Champions League for the first time in their history (via a third-placed finish). 1, Tomas Koubek, departed for Bundesliga outfit Augsburg they turned to Mendy. Despite winning a domestic trophy in 2018/19, Rennes only finished in 10th position in Ligue 1 conceding 52 goals along the way. The French side defeated European giants Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France final last season, although Mendy had yet to join the club, but arguably went one better this time around. Stade Rennes are currently enjoying one of the most successful spells in their history with the help of Mendy between the sticks. Rennes have qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history / JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/Getty Images
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