CHELSEA goalkeeper Edouard Mendy ‘didn’t understand’ his Ballon d’Or snub and thinks being African did him ‘a disservice.’
Mendy played a huge role in Chelsea’s Champions League triumph last year and he was also a part of the Blues’ Super Cup-winning squad.
Mendy won both the Champions League and the Super Cup last year but found himself outside the top 30 for the Ballon d’Or
And the Senegalese shot stopper was only beaten on Premier League clean sheets by Manchester City’s Ederson.
Mendy was also named the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper for his barnstorming debut season, but he did not rank within the top 30 players at the Ballon d’Or.
On the snub, he told Telefoot: “The best response was to stay the course on the pitch to show that my name deserved to be in the top 30.
“I think being African did me a disservice because I didn’t play in any international competitions last year.”
Senegal, with Mendy in between the sticks, won their first Africa Cup on Nations last month.
And Mendy kept FIVE clean sheets in the tournament Whilst Liverpool’s Sadio Mane spearheaded their attack.
On Mendy’s Afcon win, boss Thomas Tuchel said: “For Mendy it was very important for him and all African players to win the Africa Cup.
“He’s very happy to do an amazing performance and also very important for him to celebrate with his team-mates and his country.”
And after Senegal’s afcon success, Mendy raced back from international duty to play for Chelsea in the Club World Cup, which the Blues also won, beating Brazilian side Palmeiras.
Kai Havertz – who netted the winner in Porto against Manchester City to win Chelsea‘s second Champions League title – scored an extra-time penalty to stop the game from going to a nail-biting shootout.
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