Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy says he isn't too worried about his snub from the Ballon d'Or shortlist, saying he doesn't agree it is any sort of injustice he wasn't included.
Senegal team-mate and Liverpool star Sadio Mane called Mendy's exclusion "unacceptable" after the Chelsea goalkeeper was not named to the 30-man shortlist for football's biggest honour.
Mendy's snub has also started a new conversation about the lack of recignition and opportunities for black goalkeepers, h but the player himself says he just hopes to continue to be an example to others as he continues his own career.
What did Mendy say?
“I saw the list at the same time as many people," Mendy told Canal+. "I got a lot of messages from people close to me and from some I didn’t even know, so I was really touched by this wave of messages I got, whether it be calls or on social media.
"It’s something that’s really huge, it really touched me to a point I wasn’t expecting. All this affection and recognition is what pushes me to work and continue to get titles with club and country. It’s just happiness and motivation.
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“Do I think it’s an injustice? No, I wouldn’t use that word. It’s something that motivates me to go forward, to work and be performant at club level and with my country, and as I said after the game with the national team, it’s the journalists’ freedom of vote and expression, and they vote honourably and conscientiously.”
Mendy at Chelsea
The Senegalese shot-stopper has emerged as one of the best goalkepeers in the world since joining Chelsea in September 2020. He featured 44 times for the Blues last season, helping guide them all the way to a Champions League triumph, and has gone on to make 10 appearances so far this campaign.
Internationally, Mendy has earned 15 caps for Senegal, helping his country reach the African Cup of Nations final in 2019.