Sadio Mane on Edouard Mendy Ballon d'Or snub: It's unacceptable, I don't understand

Chelsea and Senegal goalkeeper was left off the 30-man shortlist

Posted Friday, October 15, 2021 by Marca.com

Whilst a goalkeeper has never won the Ballon d'Or in the modern era, there is a newfound focus on the position with regards to the France Football Magazine award given the presence of Manuel Neuer and Gianluigi Donnarumma on the shortlist, yet Sadio Mane has reacted angrily to Chelsea's Edouard Mendy missing the cut.

Mendy arrived at Chelsea as somewhat of an unknown quantity in the summer of 2020, with the Blues desperate to find a reliable stopper to replace the erratic Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The former Rennes goalkeeper had been pivotal in the French side qualifying for the Champions League the previous season, and he would go on to lift the trophy with the Blues in 2021.

"It's unacceptable, I don't understand," declared Sadio Mane in an interview with Onze Mondial.

"Edou is a very positive person, we talked about it together and he will continue to fight to be part of it. For me, he has a place among these 30 players."

Mendy has proven somewhat of a bargain, having cost the Blues a mere 26 million euros, which was a world away from the world-record fee they set for a goalkeeper when signing Kepa for 84.5 million euros.

It was a transfer which highlighted the value of good scouting, which in a sense actually made the first title winning team at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho so good.

Whilst the more expensive stars like Hernan Crespo, Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko all failed to have the expected impact on the club, fine scouting unearthed gems like Petr Cech, Michael Essien and Tiago Mendes.

Mendy, for his part, was more accepting of the decision than his international teammate, although it's difficult to understand how the winner of the UEFA European Goalkeeper of the Year award can't be included on the Ballon d'Or list when other stoppers were.

"Honestly, I'm already very proud to represent my country and be among the 10 best goalkeepers in the world," Mendy explained to Onze Mondial.

"I have a lot of ambition, but this is already a good step. There will always be debates, but it is down to the freedom of the votes of the journalists and they must be respected."