Top 50 players at 2022 World Cup, No. 43: Édouard Mendy
FOX Sports soccer analyst and former USMNT midfielder Stu Holden is counting down the 50 best players participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Up next is …
Country: Senegal
Rank: 43
Rank in 2018: N/A
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 30
In 2020, Chelsea paid Ligue 1 side Rennes £22 million for Édouard Mendy. Two years and one Champions League trophy later, Mendy is Chelsea's No. 1 goalkeeper ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga — who the club paid a £71 million transfer fee for in 2018 — and valued at €32 million.
"Mendy is a goalkeeper that has risen to prominence over the last couple of years and is widely regarded as one of the best in his world because of his size and his shot-stopping, but he's also a goalkeeper that's very comfortable coming out on crosses."
Other than Sadio Mane, who will be taking care of things on the other side of the ball, Mendy is arguably Senegal's most important player.
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Senegal's Édouard Mendy is known for his size, shot-stopping and crosses.
One of the leading soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.