Chelsea star Edouard Mendy has made a bold assessment over his Ballon d'Or snub by questioning if he would have been left off the shortlist if he played for France.
The 29-year-old Senegalese shot-stopper played a vital role in Chelsea’s Champions League triumph last season.
Mendy, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2020 from Rennes, kept a record-tying nine clean sheets in a single Champions League campaign.
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However, the Senegal international surprisingly failed to make France Football’s 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or, despite his brilliant form for Chelsea.
Chelsea’s Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Cesar Azpilicueta and Romelu Lukaku all managed to make the shortlist ahead of Mendy.
Mendy insisted that the Ballon d'Or snub “motivates” him and it continues to push him to work hard.
But the Chelsea star believes that the “debate” surrounding his omission from the Ballon d'Or shortlist might not have happened if he had played for France at Euro 2020 in the summer.
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Speaking to Canal+ (via Wiw Sport), Mendy said: “It's something that motivates me and pushes me to work. Honestly, I am wondering.
“If I had played for France and had taken part in the [European Championships], would we have this debate and this reflection?”
Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly admitted that it was a “shame” Senegal teammate Mendy was overlooked for the Ballon d'Or award.
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Liverpool winger Sadio Mane followed the lead of Senegal captain Koulibaly after claiming it was “unacceptable” that Mendy wasn’t on the 30-man shortlist.
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Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes that Mendy has been “massively overlooked” and hailed the Chelsea ‘keeper as a “tremendous” player.
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Mendy previously claimed that his absence from the Ballon d'Or shortlist wasn’t an injustice and respected how the votes for the nominees had been cast.
“Do I think it’s an injustice? No, I wouldn’t use that word,” he told Canal+ in October.
“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.”
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Mendy has been nominated for France Football’s Yashin Trophy, which is awarded to the best ‘keeper in the world right now.
France Football’s award, which is named after Russian icon Lev Yashin, was first won by Liverpool star Alisson in 2019.
The winners of the Ballon d'Or and the Yashin Trophy will be revealed at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on 29th November.
Featured Image Credit: PA/Canal+Topics: Edouard Mendy, Chelsea, Premier League, England, Football
