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New Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy’s journey to the top has not been an easy one, with a career that has brought back consecutive declines, several months of unemployment and injuries.
The 28-year-old, who was born in the French city of Le Havre, began his road career in third-division Cherbourg in 2011.
It would be the first of many tests that would challenge Mendy’s determination and self-confidence.
He joined the team as a third-choice goalkeeper, but took advantage of the opportunities offered him as he slowly rose through the pecking order.
“Every time he was called to replace number one, Edouard responded well on the field,” Ted Lavie, his former teammate during the 2012-2013 season, tells BBC Sport Africa.
“He even joined the second team if necessary. I and other players fought to see him become the first choice.
“He was the best among our goalkeepers and he was always involved, even as a banker.”
Unfortunately, Mendy’s third season with Cherbourg ended with the club’s relegation. The only benefit was that he was offered a starting position as the club played in the French fourth division.
Things didn’t go according to plan as the club went down once again, prompting the most difficult period of Mendy’s life so far.
Empty promises and unemployment
At age 22, his contract with Cherbourg had come to an end. He waited patiently for an agent to fulfill his promise to help Mendy move into a League One club in England.
Mendy even turned down offers from lower-league clubs in France while waiting for a phone call.
Never arrived.
Instead, Mendy returned home to Le Havre without a job.
“He was trying to stay fit: jogging alone, going to the gym, training with some local clubs. He never gave up,” recalls Lavie.
With no income, Mendy was forced to register with Pole Emploi, France’s French unemployment agency, while seriously considering his future in the game.
A change of fortune
After a year without a club, Mendy was running out of hope. But his life completely changed in 2015 thanks to his old friend Lavie.
The former France youth international, who has a heritage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, even calls himself “the incumbent,” the man who started Mendy’s career.
“I was talking to one of my friends, Dominique Bernatowicz, in charge of goalkeepers at the Marseille academy, and he was looking to take last place,” says Lavie.
“I told him that I used to play a very good, tall, intelligent boy with a lot of room to progress. I added that I was trying to find an opportunity. “
Bernatowicz called the unemployed doorman. One talk was enough to convince him of Mendy’s motivation.
Mendy accepted the possibility of a tryout with the French giants, even though it was only to become the fourth-choice goalkeeper. Even if they accepted him, he would only train with the first team and play with the second team sporadically.
“His test was very good. He was raw but I quickly saw his qualities in his profile, as he could easily stretch and dive,” recalls Bernatowicz, who described that week as ‘Mendy’s last chance’.
He convinced the club to offer Mendy a one-year amateur contract at minimum wage.
“Mendy was like a spare tire, a filler,” says Bernatowicz. “For him, it was a challenge for eight or nine months in which he had to work hard.”
He took the opportunity to rebuild his career, while his pregnant girlfriend stayed in Le Havre.
Mendy played only a handful of times for Marseille’s second team during that season. It was enough for them to offer him a two-year contract.
But, would the goalkeeper be satisfied with being a substitute for Marseille? Other clubs were interested. Opportunities were closing in on Mandy, thanks to an agent close to Bernatowicz.
“I did not decide for him, but I felt that it would be useless to see him stay as second or third goalkeeper at Marseille,” he says.
Taking their chances
Among the offers were lower-tier clubs looking for a first-choice goalkeeper. But Mendy decided to challenge himself again by joining Reims, later in Ligue 2, as a backup.
He had a chance to prove himself earlier than expected.
“During the first game of the season, the coach had to put it on because the number one got a red card,” former Reims midfielder Danilson da Cruz, Cape Verdean international, told BBC Sport.
“And that day, he acted very, very well.
“Even as a number two, he always had the mentality of a leader and was very vocal in the locker room. He is valuable in a team because he knows how to speak at the right time.
“He did his best to push number one. When they called him, he turned out to be one of the best on the team.”
At the beginning of the 2017-18 season, Mendy was named first-choice goalkeeper when David Guion replaced Michel der Zakarian as coach of Reims, who was still in Ligue 2.
It was the opportunity Mendy needed. That season, he and his defense kept a clean sheet in 19 of 38 league games. Reims won promotion to Ligue 1.
In that first season in the top flight, he played every game for Reims and achieved another 14 shutouts. His performances led to a change to Ligue 1 rivals Rennes last year.
Two international debuts
His exploits in France have also helped Mendy achieve his dream of playing for Senegal, where his parents are from.
“When we played for Cherbourg with a lot of African players, we always joked about the results of each other’s teams and countries,” Lavie recalls.
“I remember even at that time I dreamed of playing in an African Cup of Nations with Senegal.”
But Mendy’s route to playing for Senegal was unconventional, as he actually made his international debut with Guinea-Bissau, where he also has family.
“During his first season in Reims, he was called up by Guinea-Bissau, but it was not a FIFA match, so he went there knowing that he still had the option to join Senegal later,” says Da Cruz.
“I think when the Senegal manager found out about that, he realized that losing him would not be a good idea.”
Mendy won his first cap with Senegal in November 2018 and soon established himself as their goalkeeper of first choice.
However, it has not been easy on an international level for Mendy.
He was part of the Lions of Teranga team for the 2019 Nations Cup in Egypt and played in his first two games before a hand injury excluded him from the remainder of the tournament, in which Senegal reached the final.
For Mendy, it was another hurdle to overcome. His ability to bounce back from setbacks has helped him get to a position where he can now hope to play in the Premier League and the Champions League.
“We recently joked about it [playing in the Champions League] because I’ve always said it would be with Barcelona, never with Chelsea, ”laughs Da Cruz.
“However, by playing these high-level matches, I am sure that he will soon be among the best goalkeepers in Europe.”
