 Mendy lifting the2021 FIFA Club World Cup withChelsea | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Édouard Osoque Mendy | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1992-03-01)1 March 1992 (age 33) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Montivilliers, France | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Al-Ahli | |||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2005 | Le Havre Caucriauville | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Le Havre | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2011 | CS Municipaux Le Havre | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | Cherbourg | 26 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Marseille II | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | Reims | 80 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Rennes | 25 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2023 | Chelsea | 75 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Al-Ahli | 70 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018– | Senegal | 50 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:10, 21 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19:56, 18 November 2025 (UTC) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Édouard Osoque Mendy (born 1 March 1992) is a professionalfootballer who plays as agoalkeeper for andcaptainsSaudi Pro League clubAl-Ahli. Born in France, he plays for theSenegal national team.
Starting his career in his native France, Mendy played in theLe Havre academy before signing professional terms with third divisionCherbourg in 2011. Mendy was released in 2014, after which he almost quit football, before getting an opportunity withMarseille's reserves. He established himself as regular in the following seasons atReims andRennes.
In 2020, Mendy signed forPremier League clubChelsea for a reported fee of £22 million. In his first season, he immediately broke into the starting line-up, becoming the first African goalkeeper to play for the club's senior team, and kept sixteen clean sheets in the Premier League. Mendy also equalled the record for the most clean sheets in aUEFA Champions League season with nine, and kept another clean sheet in thefinal to help Chelsea win their second title. He was also awarded both theUEFA Goalkeeper of the Year andThe Best FIFA Goalkeeper of 2021, becoming the first African goalkeeper in football's history to win both awards. He would continue as the first choice keeper in the 2021–22 season, before subsequently falling out of favour during 2022–23. In 2023, Mendy signed for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli for a fee of around £16 million.
Eligible to play for Guinea-Bissau and Senegal through descent and France through birth, Mendy initially joined Guinea-Bissau in honour of his father. However, he subsequently switched allegiance to Senegal, where he became the first-choice goalkeeper for the2019 Africa Cup of Nations, helping Senegal to a runners-up finish. He helped his nation win the2021 Africa Cup of Nations, while also being named the tournament'sbest goalkeeper, keeping a clean sheet in thefinal.
Édouard Osoque Mendy[2] was born on 1 March 1992[3] inMontivilliers, Seine-Maritime in France,[4] to a Senegalese mother and a Bissau-Guinean father.[5] He holds both French and Senegalese nationalities.[6] He is a cousin of fellow footballerFerland Mendy.[7]
Mendy joined the youth academy ofLe Havre AC at the age of 13.[8] After being stuck behindZacharie Boucher in the talent pool, Mendy dropped down levels to play with CS Municipaux Le Havre.[8] He started his professional career atAS Cherbourg, who were then in theChampionnat National, the third tier of the French football league system. He stayed in Cherbourg until the summer of 2014, after which he was without a club for a year.[9] "I did genuinely have my doubts about whether I would carry on", Mendy said in a later interview.[10] At the age of 22, Mendy registered for unemployment and began to look for jobs outside of football.[10] However, in 2015, Mendy was recommended to fill a goalkeeping vacancy atMarseille by friend and former teammateTed Lavie. After one phone call with the academy goalkeeping coach, Dominique Bernatowicz, Marseille signed Mendy as their fourth choice goalkeeper.[11] He played the 2015–16 season in Marseille's reserve team, primarily as a backup toFlorian Escales.[8]
In search of regular playing time, Mendy joinedReims during the2016–17 Ligue 2 season.[8] On the opening day of the season, Mendy made his debut when Reims' starting goalkeeperJohann Carrasso was sent off five minutes into the match againstAmiens. Mendy went on to keep three clean sheets over his next seven games.[8] The next season, Mendy cemented his role as the starting goalkeeper on a team for the first time, as he helped Reims win the2017–18 Ligue 2 title as they were promoted toLigue 1 for thefollowing season.[8] Mendy kept 18 clean sheets in his 34 appearances over the course of the season.[12] In the 2018–19 season, Mendy played in all 38 Ligue 1 games, as newly promoted Reims soared to an eighth-place finish. Mendy kept fourteen clean sheets, the third highest of any goalkeeper in the league.[13]
Mendy joinedRennes in August 2019 for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to be in the region of €4 million, replacing departing goalkeeperTomáš Koubek.[14][15] Mendy made his debut on Matchday 3 againstStrasbourg after recovering from a broken finger. He saved a penalty to preserve a clean sheet as Rennes won 2–0 at theStade de la Meinau.[8] Mendy went on to keep nine clean sheets in 24 league matches for Rennes in a season that was shortened due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, helping them to a third-place finish and qualification for theUEFA Champions League.[13]
English clubChelsea signed Mendy on a five-year contract in September 2020, for a fee reported to be £22 million.[16][17] On 29 September, Mendy made his debut for the club againstTottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of theEFL Cup, which Chelsea lost 5–4 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.[18] Mendy made hisPremier League debut on 3 October, keeping a clean sheet in Chelsea's 4–0 victory overCrystal Palace, becoming the first African goalkeeper to play in the division sinceCarl Ikeme in 2012.[19][20]
His clean sheet againstBurnley on 31 October made him the first Chelsea goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in their first threePremier League matches since Petr Čech in 2004.[21] With a clean sheet in the club's next match, a 3–0 win against Mendy's former club Rennes in theChampions League, Chelsea recorded five consecutive clean sheets for the first time in a decade.[22]
On 8 May 2021, Mendy saved apanenka style penalty kick fromSergio Agüero as Chelsea came from 0–1 down to defeatManchester City 2–1.[23] Three weeks later on 29 May, Mendy became the first African goalkeeper to play in a final of the UEFA Champions League sinceBruce Grobbelaar, who appeared in the1985 European Cup final. Chelsea defeated Manchester City 1–0 in thefinal.[24] He also equaled the record of most clean sheets in a Champions League season, by keeping nine clean sheets, the same asSantiago Cañizares in2000–01 andKeylor Navas in2015–16.[25]
Mendy started theUEFA Super Cup tie against Villarreal, making important saves in the tie that went to extra time. He was replaced byKepa Arrizabalaga for the penalty shoot-out, which Chelsea went on to win for a second Super Cup title.[26]
Mendy finished second in theYashin Award toItaly goalkeeperGianluigi Donnarumma, who saved two penalties in theUEFA Euro 2020 final.[27] Mendy did, however, win the FIFA Best Goalkeeper award.[28]
In February 2022, after winning the2021 Africa Cup of Nations withSenegal, Mendy returned from international duty to take part in the2021 FIFA Club World Cup, starting in the final as he won a second trophy in two weeks.[29]
Mendy began the2022–23 season as first choice but started poorly, and suffered an injury that meant he was unavailable whenGraham Potter replacedThomas Tuchel as the club's manager.[30] Potter decided not to commit to naming either Mendy or Arrizabalaga as first choice; ultimately, Arrizabalaga would keep his place and Mendy would play just three times after Potter's appointment.[31][32]
Mendy signed forSaudi Pro League clubAl Ahli on 28 June 2023 on a three-year contract, for a fee reported in the British media to be around £16 million.[33] In the final match held in Jeddah on 3 May 2025, he became a member of the squad that won the first-ever AFC Champions League Elite title at the2024–25 season, following a victory against the Japanese representative, Kawasaki Frontale at thefinal. Mendy was also the best goalkeeper in the competition.[34]
In November 2016, Mendy was called up byGuinea-Bissau to play friendly matches against Portuguese clubsBelenenses andEstoril.[35] At the time, his father was very ill and was about to pass away, leading Mendy to honour him playing for the Guinea-Bissau national team.[36] Shortly after, he was shortlisted by Guinea-Bissau to play the2017 Africa Cup of Nations for them,[37] but he ultimately rejected the call and pledged his future toSenegal.[36]
Mendy made his debut for Senegal in a 1–0 win overEquatorial Guinea on 18 November 2018.[38] Mendy went on to become Senegal's first choice goalkeeper leading up to the2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He started in both Senegal's opening two group stage matches, a 2–0 win overTanzania and a 1–0 defeat toAlgeria. However, he was injured during the warmups before Senegal's final group stage match againstKenya, and was forced to withdraw from the squad with a broken finger as Senegal would go on to lose in thefinal 1–0 to Algeria.[39]
In January 2022, Mendy was included in Senegal's squad for the2021 Africa Cup of Nations inCameroon.[40] In his first game at the competition, on 10 January againstZimbabwe, he kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 win for Senegal. After the group stages, Mendy helped his nation to progress into thefinal.[41] At the final on 6 February, againstEgypt atOlembe Stadium, following a goalless draw after extra-time, Mendy saved a spot kick fromMohanad Lasheen and another hit the post during the penalty shootout to win the tournament for Senegal for the first time.[42] For his performances throughout the competition, including keeping four clean sheets, he was named the tournament'sbest goalkeeper.[43]
Mendy represented Senegal at the2022 FIFA World Cup as the nation reached the round of 16 for the first time since its debut in2002. He started every match including Senegal's final defeat toEngland.[44]
In December 2023, Mendy was named in Senegal's squad for the postponed2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in theIvory Coast. Mendy started every match as Senegal reached the round of 16.[45]
Mendy has been described as a physically dominant goalkeeper who exerts a strong influence in the defensive third.[13] In the 2019–20 season with Rennes, Mendy recorded a 75.3% save success rate, the highest in Ligue 1, averaging 2.5 saves per game. In the same season, Mendy completed 51.4% of his passes over 40 yards, the same asEderson, who is highly regarded for his kicking ability.[46] Mendy is an aerially assertive goalkeeper, frequently coming off his line to claim crosses. He is also very vocal, often organizing his defenders' positioning.[13][47] Upon his arrival at Chelsea, former managerFrank Lampard praised his positive attitude and work ethic.[48]
He was appointed aGrand Officer of the National Order of the Lion byPresident of SenegalMacky Sall following the nation's victory at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.[49]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cherbourg | 2011–12[51] | Championnat National | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||||
| 2012–13[51] | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||||||
| 2013–14[51] | CFA | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 26 | 0 | — | — | — | 26 | 0 | |||||||
| Marseille II | 2015–16[51] | CFA | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Reims | 2016–17[51] | Ligue 2 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18[51] | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 0 | ||||
| 2018–19[51] | Ligue 1 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 0 | |||
| Total | 80 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 86 | 0 | ||||
| Reims II | 2016–17[51] | CFA | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Rennes | 2019–20[51] | Ligue 1 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | |
| 2020–21[51] | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 25 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | |||
| Chelsea | 2020–21[52] | Premier League | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12[d] | 0 | — | 44 | 0 | |
| 2021–22[53] | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9[d] | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 49 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23[54] | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| Total | 75 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 105 | 0 | ||
| Al-Ahli | 2023–24[51] | Saudi Pro League | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 35 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25[51] | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 9[f] | 0 | 1[g] | 0 | 39 | 0 | |||
| 2025–26[51] | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 4[f] | 0 | 3[h] | 0 | 17 | 0 | |||
| Total | 70 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 91 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 284 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 350 | 0 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | 0 | |
Reims
Chelsea
Al-Ahli
Senegal
Individual
Orders
I was contacted by Guinea (Guinea-Bissau), it goes back to last winter (2016). I could have participated in the (2017) African Cup of Nations, but I finally declined this proposal. I was a little rushed to mention this possibility, I went through a personal period a little complicated, I almost lost my father, of Guinean (Bissau-Guinean) origin, who was very sick. This decision was to pleasure him, not really my choice. I have always wanted to represent Senegal, my mother's homeland. In difficult moments, we do not always take the necessary time for reflection and therefore not always the right decisions.
Senegal squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Awards | |||||||||||
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