Edouard Mendy’s Unique Career Journey: From Unemployment to Champions League Success

2023-06-29 22:07:00

At the twilight of his career, when it will be time to stop the costs and reflect on what he has accomplished, Edouard Mendy might be dizzy. At a time when the stars are programmed to reign from an early age, he has built an absolutely unique and completely anachronistic career.

From unemployment to the Champions League in six years, from the Champions League to Saudi Arabia. This Wednesday, Al-Ahli formalized the arrival of the Chelsea goalkeeper. Mendy is now giving up on the very high level, he who was nevertheless voted the best goalkeeper in the world in January 2022, just a few months following the Blues’ victory in C1.

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A status that has crumbled

At 31, an age of all possibilities for goalkeepers, his choice is surprising but it is quite easily explained. Beyond the financial argument, which remains the main source of motivation for this type of transaction – his annual salary should double and rise to 11 million euros (plus 3 bonuses) -, the trajectory of his career is also something to take into account. To put it another way, Mendy was no longer at the top and the descent was dizzying from the roof of Europe to the Chelsea bench. This season, he has only played twelve matches in a year that marked his sharp decline in the hierarchy in his position.

Edouard Mendy had a difficult last season at Chelsea

Credit: Getty Images

“He ended the 2021/2022 season with discomfort in the lower limbs, rewinds Christophe Lollichon, responsible for the performance of goalkeepers at Chelsea until last fall and the origin of Mendy’s arrival in London. Holder, he did not want to leave the place. He continued to play. After the World Cup, he broke a finger following two days of recovery. All this means that there has been an accumulation of unfavorable things in a club that has changed a lot in the meantime. Tuchel was fired, Edouard was not at his best at that time.” End of the fairy tale.

You might think it’s a waste but…

But the Senegalese goalkeeper undoubtedly has his share of responsibility. “Maybe he didn’t listen to himself enough, continues Lollichon. He was number 1 and he didn’t want someone to steal his place from him. In this type of situation, there is often a relaxation that’s taking place. I’m not talking regarding slacking in motivation. But the body needs to recover, it sends signs and you have to know how to listen to them. He went from L2 to a victory in the Champions League very quickly. He had a Space Mountain career. The body needs you to listen to it. But when you’re on the right wave, you don’t want to get out of it.”

Edouard Mendy was no longer a starter with Chelsea.

Credit: Getty Images

Taken in the roller coaster with a body that whistles everywhere, Mendy then signed some performances unworthy of his status and this one ended up crumbling over the dumplings, in the Premier League and even in the World Cup, which have harmed his reputation. The top level does not forgive and the Saudi offer may have come at the right time for him.

“He won a Champions League, a CAN: achievements he might not even imagine five years ago, recalls Lollichon. He has perfectly optimized his career. At 31, either you bounce back in a club capable of offer you the same emotions, namely a victory in C1, or you take another path. Today, he will protect his family and I understand that. I would have had more difficulty understanding his decision if he was 26 years old … You may think it’s a waste because his talent deserves to be expressed somewhere other than in a minor championship. But somewhere, he favors something else and it’s a decision that cannot be accused of selfish. His story remains magnificent.” And exceptional because completely unique. It is not quite over but, in Saudi Arabia, the end will necessarily lack luster.

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