Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy said he could not understand why he did not make the 30-man Ballon d’Or final ranking in 2021.
The 29-year-old had a fantastic year in 2021 — there is no doubt about that.
He kept nine clean sheets in the Champions League winning campaign with Chelsea, the highest in the tournament, while also having the second-most clean sheets in the Premier League last season.
He eventually finished in second place, behind Gianluigi Donnarumma, for the Yashin Trophy, another award from France Football dedicated for goalkeepers.
However, while Donnarumma earned a spot among the top 10 in the Ballon d’Or final ranking, Mendy did not even make the top 30.
Bear in mind, four of his Chelsea teammates; Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, and Cesar Azpilicueta [as well as Romelu Lukaku who earned his spot due to his achievements at Inter Milan] also made the list.
The Chelsea goalkeeper was not impressed, to say the least.
“The best response was to stay on the field to show that my name deserved to be in the final 30,” the Senegal international told Telefoot.
“I think that being African has done me a disservice because I did not have any international competition.”
Mendy certainly had a point about the lack of international tournaments for Africans in 2021.
Winning the Euro 2020, which took place in 2021, with Italy was a big factor in Donnarumma’s finishing ahead of him in both Ballon d’Or and Yashin Trophy rankings.
This year, however, he has won the African Cup of Nations with Senegal. So, based on last year’s criteria, he should have a pretty good chance of making this year’s list.
At least, his incredible year was recognised by FIFA who awarded him the 2021 men’s best goalkeeper award.
Keep up to date with all the latest Chelsea news and opinion by following The Chelsea Chronicle’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
