‘It’s unacceptable, I don’t understand’ – Sadio Mane says on Edouard Mendy Ballon d’Or snub
The 1963 Ballon d’Or was awarded to Lev Yashin and that is the first and last time a goalkeeper has ever won this award.
Ahead of the 2021 Ballon D’or award in November, there is a newfound focus on the position with regards to the France Football Magazine award with the presence of Manuel Neuer and Gianluigi Donnarumma on the shortlist, but Sadio Mane 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.
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“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.
