How Chelsea goalkeeper became Africa's number one :Edouard Mendy

 

Wherever he goes in Africa, Senegal's Edouard Mendy - the continent's only Premier League goalkeeper - says he is hugely inspired by those he meets.

The Chelsea star, 29, has had an unforgettable year since joining in September 2020 on the insistence of the club's legendary former goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Now boasting Champions League and Uefa Super Cup medals, Mendy is starting to emulate the Czech's trophy-laden spell with the Blues after a string of largely-flawless performances.

"It's incredible because I've made people proud across the continent," he told BBC Sport Africa. "Everywhere in Africa, when I walk in the street, people stop to congratulate me.

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"It's something exceptional because when you go to South Africa, Congo or Togo, say, you have all these people saying they're proud of you, they're backing you and telling you to continue what you're doing.

"That gives me enormous pleasure and makes me want to keep on winning."

The latter is something he's getting used to.

His debut Champions League season was remarkable - as he lifted the trophy, became the first goalkeeper to keep nine clean sheets (a joint-record) in his first year and was later named Uefa's Goalkeeper of 2020-21. 

Little surprise then that it's his highlight of the year.

"It's the most difficult competition in Europe," said the BBC African Sports Personality of the Year nominee.

"We were very good in the group stages, knock-out stages and the final. For my first year in the Champions League, it was a good debut."

His favourite save of 2021 came in the tournament too, when keeping out Real Madrid's Karim Benzema in the second leg of a semi-final Chelsea won 2-0 to book their place in May's final against Manchester City.

In Porto, Mendy became the first African goalkeeper to play a Champions League final, even if Zimbabwe's Bruce Grobbelaar had twice done so in the tournament's forerunner, the European Cup (winning in 1984, but losing in 1985).

"It's real pride for me and my family," he said.

Grobbelaar and Mendy form precisely half the total tally of African Premier League goalkeepers since its launch in 1992, with Nigeria's Carl Ikeme and Ghanaian Richard Kingson the only others.

"I know it's a responsibility and I've always said I'll do my best to make people proud and show there could be lots more African goalkeepers in the Premier League."

The man known as 'Edou' at Chelsea is certainly doing that - registering an impressive 36 clean sheets in his first 65 Blues games, and conceding just 42 goals.