Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy shows why Ballon d’Or made a huge error
When the Ballon d’Or 30-man shortlist came out a few weeks ago, there were a few names that seemed to be missing. Supporters can argue their stars should’ve been there until they’re blue in the face, but the name everyone agrees should have been there is none other than Chelsea’s own, Edouard Mendy. The Senegalese goalkeeper acquired from Stade Rennais last season was the difference-maker for the Blues last season both domestically and abroad. Mendy was a huge upgrade over Kepa Arrizabalaga and he was very inexpensive, as well. He was often dubbed ‘the next Petr Cech’ due to his stint at Rennais, but it was his incredible performances in west London that legitimized these claims.
Mendy’s first season with the club was phenomenal. Not only did he keep clean sheet after clean sheet, but he was also performed terrifically in the UEFA Champions League to win Chelsea its second-ever UCL trophy. Mendy kept nine clean sheets in 12 appearances and allowed only three goals throughout the tournament. These were some phenomenal stats and he was awarded the UEFA Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
Latest stats and match against Brentford confirms that Mendy should have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or
However, for the Ballon d’Or committee, even this was not enough to please it. The group left the shot-stopper off the list. The match against Brentford showed how good he truly is as he saved seven shots on target and denied several other chances through his brave and courageous display. He was ready to win the ball before the attackers could even touch it and without Mendy, Chelsea would have probably conceded a goal or five.
Still, one match cannot tell the whole story and a new statistic by Squawka confirms that Mendy has statistically been the best keeper in the Premier League this season. He has faced 6.1 expected goals on target shots, which are strikes that should have been a goal. He prevented 3.1 goals and conceded only three, making him the best keeper in the PL.
His snub from this list has been questioned a lot and many footballers, including Sadio Mane, openly criticised the community. However, Mendy himself is not bothered by the snub. He recently had this to say in an interview:
"“Do I think it’s an injustice? No, I wouldn’t use that word. It’s something that motivates me to go forward, to work and be performant at club level and with my country, and as I said after the game with the national team, it’s the journalists’ freedom of vote and expression, and they vote honourably and conscientiously.” Source: Goal"
This just goes to show the kind of person Mendy truly is. He does not care about individual trophies and he wants the whole team to win. He is also always supporting Arrizabalaga, even though the Spaniard is fighting for the No. 1 spot. Mendy is a genuine person through and through, and hopefully, if he keeps up his performance, he will get onto the list next year.
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Do you think it was an injustice to not include Mendy in the Ballon d’Or shortlist? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!