Édouard Mendy swapped Rennes for Chelsea in 2020 and went on to enjoy success with the west London club by winning the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
The goalkeeper also won the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal in February. He could have added one more medal to the list, had if the Blues beat Liverpool in the EFL Cup final last weekend.
Thomas Tuchel replaced the 30-year-old with Kepa Arrizabalaga for the penalty shootout and it was the Spaniard’s failed effort that helped the Reds lift the trophy at Wembley.
The custodian went through a phase earlier in his career where he was without a club and had to undergo a trial at Marseille. He was at the Ligue 1 side during the 2015/16 season, where he was mainly the backup for reserve team goalkeeper, Florian Escales.
Onze Mondial interviewed the Chelsea star and he detailed his experience at Marseille.
“Actually, I had come for the CFA, and as soon as I arrived, I played a friendly match with the CFA and it went well. So, they said ‘why not’, and I went up with the pros. It went really well,” Mendy said.
“As soon as the training was over, the players came to talk to me to say: ‘Where are you from?’, ‘Congratulations, you are not bad’. And there, when you answer them that you don’t have a club, some don’t believe it, others are shocked, others say: ‘But how is it possible?’.”
“I remember guys like Abdelaziz Barrada or Lassana Diarra, who passed through Le Havre and who knows many big names in my neighborhood, were very surprised.”
“Just like Steve Mandanda. It was quite surreal for me, knowing that I was without a club. (…) I would have liked to be Marseille’s number one goalkeeper, but in front of me, there were Steve Mandanda, Yohann Pelé and Florian Escales who was the club’s hope for this position.”
“Even if I had in my craziest dream this thought, the reality was different, it was blocked from home blocked from home blocked, there was no way to get there.”
Mendy also discussed about the possibility of returning to Marseille in the future.
“Could I become Marseille’s goalkeeper in four or five years? [He bursts out laughing] We don’t know what the future holds. In any case, I’m focusing on Chelsea and I still have great things to do here, God willing,” he explained.
