Interview with Chennaiyin FC's Bernard Mendy: "Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to sign me in 2004"
In his very first game at his now adopted home in Chennai, Bernard Mendy became a hero among the masses after his stunning bicycle kick proved to be the winner for Chennaiyin FC against Kerala Blasters in the first ISL season. The journeyman from France has played in England, Cyprus and now India, apart from his home country and he is loving the spotlight. He spoke with Sportskeeda in an exclusive chat.
Q. Bernard, tell us about the circumstances that led you to choose Chennaiyin last year.
My contract had expired with my club in France, Brest after the 2013/14 season and, due to some reasons, there was no extension. So, I was looking for a club at that point, and when the offer from Chennai came, I thought it would be the ideal choice.
Q. What did you expect coming into the league last year?
Honestly, I didn’t know anything. Nothing about India, the country, the culture, the people, the football. Everything was new to me. I had not seen any of the Indian players in the team play before, so it was a challenge getting used to them. But, everyone was very good to me, and helped me settle in very quickly, and we could put in a good performance last year.
Q. How would you compare this year’s ISL to last year’s?
On a personal note, I thought it was more exciting last year, because it was completely new, and no one knew what to look forward to. But, definitely this year, there has been a lot of professional work done, which has made the experience very nice.
Q. You started off your career in the academy of SM Caen in France. Was there anyone you looked up to when you were growing up?
When I was in Caen, I was very young, and my only goal was to become a professional footballer. I didn’t really look around me, to be inspired by anyone else. I knew that if I worked hard, I would achieve my goals, and it has turned out pretty well, I think.
Q. You spent eight years with Paris St. Germain. Did you ever think that they would grow to be the continental force that they are now?
Obviously, this is where I want PSG to be. Paris is the capital of France, and the club from the capital should be strong. Of course, the Qatari money came into the club, and they have bought some very good players, who have made a fantastic team.
In Ligue 1, PSG are the best team by far, so naturally, the next challenge is to play well in Europe. They have done decently in the Champions League, but the challenge for them should be to win it in the next few years.
Q. In 2004, you were linked with a move to Manchester United. Why did things not work out ultimately?
I learnt about the interest that United had to sign me. I met the manager, Mr. (Sir Alex) Ferguson in Caen, and we had a very nice discussion. He told me that he liked my qualities as a player and wanted to sign me. That was a stage when I was also contemplating an extension with PSG. So, I told him that maybe I will sign the extension with PSG, and think about United later.
He said he would love to have me playing for him, but ultimately, nothing worked out.
Q. But you did end up playing in England, with Hull City and you did play at Old Trafford. How was the experience in the Premier League?
The Premier League is the best league in the world. For me, there is no doubt about that. The physicality, pace and power of the Premier League cannot be found in any other league in the world. It was a great time with Hull, a period of my career that I really enjoyed.
Old Trafford was a very good day for me, personally even though we lost 4-3. To start with, I was disappointed because I was a substitute. But then, I came on and managed to score a goal and win a penalty for us. So, it is a day that I cannot forget easily.
Q. The internet will never forget the way you dribbled past Roberto Carlos so easily. How did you feel in that game?
It was my debut for the France national team, and to play alongside people like (Thierry) Henry and (Zinedine) Zidane was fabulous. This was the FIFA Centenary game, and I got the opportunity to run at Roberto Carlos, and it just happened positively for me.
Obviously for France, it would have been nice if (Sylvain) Wiltord had scored, and we could have won the game, but those are memories that I will not forget.
Q. Coming back to Chennaiyin FC, you are in a bit of trouble in this season. How is the morale in the camp?
Obviously, the morale would be better if we were winning games, but we are still confident of reaching the semi-finals. We have 5 games left, and each one is like a final for us. If we play as well as we know we can, we should get much better results than we have got so far.
Three of the five remaining games are at home for us, and I’m confident that our fans will back us as always, and they can help in pushing us past the line.
Q. How do you see Marco Materazzi as a manager?
Marco’s biggest inspiration is Jose Mourinho. He tries to do a lot of things the way Mourinho would do them. But, we look at Materazzi as a great defender who has achieved so much for both his club and country. For the defenders in the team, he is a great mentor who always wants everyone to become a better player.
He has a winning mentality, and we can see that on the training pitch also. So obviously these results are not what he would have liked, but I’m sure he is working out a way in which we can turn our season around.
Q. Have you got the chance to catch the sights and sounds of Chennai?
Not much. I went with my family and Mikael Silvestre to the temples at Mahabalipuram last year. Apart from that, I’ve not gone around too much. But, my daughters really like the place and love coming here.
