Do you remember what you were like 7 years ago? Or can you imagine what you will achieve in 7 years?
When the Chelsea goalkeeper lifted the Club World Cup in the early hours of this morning to help the Blues complete the club's Grand Slam, he may have to thank one person: himself who did not give up football 7 years ago.
From being an unemployed player after being sacked by Ligue 1 side Cherbourg to winning 4 titles in 10 months and 3 best goalkeeper glories, whether you feel that Mendy is the first goalkeeper today, you need to pay the highest respect and respect to him.
01. Career started so hard: 3 free bodies Mendy was bitter
Mendy grew up in a wealthy family, his father was a businessman from Guinea-Bissau, and his mother was a doctor from Senegal, so he could rest assured that he could chase his dream of becoming a top goalkeeper.
He made his debut in the youth academy of Le Havre, who has a tradition of training goalkeepers in France, but at the age of 19, Mendy was sacked by the team due to a defeat in a competition with zachary Boucher, the main goalkeeper of the future Ligue 1 central team.
Back at home, seeing his parents' sad looks, Mendy said to himself inwardly, "I have to make a change and come up with a look to make My Parents happy." If not in Le Havre, go somewhere else, and I have to succeed. ”
After 3 trials, Mendy was offered a contract from Ligue 1 side Cherbourg and took to the stage in the French third division. However, he was not the main player of the team, and in the next three years, Mendy only made 10 appearances.
Even more tragic was the relegation from Ligue 1 at the age of 23, and Mendy terminated his contract with the team, eager to get the chance to play in england's lower league (he visited Brighton as a teenager and idolized the then Brighton goalkeeper Ronaldo Nazario).
Unfortunately, his agent did not pay much attention to Mendy, and there was no news of him playing in England, and Mendy became an unemployed player. At one point, he considered retiring, but it was the support of his parents that allowed him to stay on the football field.
First, he went to his parent team Le Havre to get an unpaid sparring job and get the opportunity to "rub training", and then signed with the second team of Marseille to play in the fourth division of France, and at the same time got the opportunity to train with the first team of Marseille.
At the age of 23, Mendy has experienced too much. At the end of the season, The second team of Marseille disbanded, and Mendy, who was once again free, was not afraid, because he was given a contract from Ligue 2 side Reims.
02. Career started so hard: 3 free bodies Mendy was bitter
In his first year in Ligue 2, Mendy started off as a substitute, but he managed to win the starting position after giving 3 clean sheets.
The following year in Ligue 2, the 26-year-old Mendy kept 18 clean sheets in 34 matches to help Lance win the Ligue 2 title, and he joined the team on the Ligue 1 stage.
After the promotion, the team re-signed a contract with Mendy, allowing him to receive a "sky-high" monthly salary of 5,000 euros. This broke Mendile, and he even said to the team chairman, "This is too much money"! He can finally use his income to raise his children and family, while still saving some money.
Solving the worries of life, Mendy's performance on the court has become more and more courageous. Ligue 1 contributed 15 clean sheets in its first year, allowing promoted Marance to sit in the middle of Ligue 1. At the same time he received an olive branch from Senegal and made his debut for the national team.
Mendy is also proud to have completed such a counterattack, although he remains sober: "I dare not say that I am a role model, I am not better than others." 」 But it's really not easy along the way, there are too many young people in youth training who can't really go into the professional arena, and I hope that everything I have experienced can give them more confidence. ”
For a €7 million transfer fee, Mendy played there for just one year, but managed to create a century-old Ligue 1 club with a record for the fewest goals conceded per game while helping the team reach the Champions League.
With a height of 1.97 meters and a saving success rate of nearly 70%, more and more eyes are beginning to pay attention to the 28-year-old goalkeeper. Trapped by Kepa's poor performances, Chelsea decided to take mendy.
03. Career started so hard: 3 times free body Mendy was bitter
The reason for the Blues to shoot is that the team's former goalkeeper Cech has also played for Rennes, and it is the Czechs' strong recommendation, which makes Chelsea really pay attention to this piece of real gold in Ligue 1.
As soon as he arrived at the team, Mendy did not concede a goal in 3 Premier League clean sheets and 3 Champions League games, maintaining a clean body of 500 minutes + and allowing Kepa to disappear from Chelsea's first line and better focus on the "coaching bench".
In the past 10 months, from champions of the Champions League, Super Cup of Nations, Africa Cup of Nations to Club World, Mendy has not only witnessed Chelsea become a Grand Slam club, but also made himself one of the best goalkeepers in football.
In particular, the defeats of Donnaruma and Neuer, the UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year, who won the 2021 Goalkeeper of the Year award, and the FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year (compared to the Best Goalkeeper of the Africa Cup of Nations, are less important), marking the true recognition of Mendy as the top presence, while also creating a new history of African football.
With the advantage of height and arm length, Mendy's defensive area is large. Even if his goalkeeper basic skills are not particularly good, he can rely on a good goal line reaction to stably output beautiful saves. Blocking Salah's shot in the Africa Cup final is an example.
On the other hand, Mendy's control range is also good, and he has a certain ability to attack. This time, Palmeiras player Dudu received the ball and went into the box slightly larger, and Mendy was already in place in time to take the ball.
In the Premier League, Mendy's strong control of where the cross landed was also a highlight for him. It can be said that after having him, Chelsea's defense has gone up a big step.
Now that he is only 30 years old, Mendy has a long period of peak time in the future. In the last 7 years, he completed the counterattack of his life from the lowest to the highest, and in the next 7 years, what kind of chapter will Mendy continue to write?
Conclusion:
This inspirational story may be summed up as a temporary ending to Mendy's own words at the end of last year: "If I met myself in 2015, I would say to myself: You're really amazing." At the same time, I will say to myself in 2015: Thank you, I did not give up at that time. ”
Let's look forward to the next 7 years, Mendy's new legend. One of his most recent goals will be the final of the English League Cup, a 5th title in 10 months.
(Lust)