“What he’s doing at his age is amazing” - Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy lavishes praise on PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe
Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has lavished praise on PSG ace Kylian Mbappe for his sustained brilliance.
The Frenchman has been on fire this season, scoring 22 goals and making 16 assists in all competitions from 33 games for Paris Saint-Germain.
He's been the chief driving force behind their Ligue 1 title charge and recently scored in stoppage-time against Real Madrid in the Champions League to hand them a 1-0 win.
Despite having Lionel Messi and Neymar playing alongside him, the 23-year-old has outshone both the former Barcelona stars to become the club's standout attacker.
“Ce qu’il fait à son âge, c’est incroyable. C’est vraiment du très très très haut-niveau”
Edouard Mendy admiratif du niveau de jeu affiché par @KMbappe https://t.co/PNT9XugVuR
Now, the Blues shotstopper Mendy has also admired the level of play displayed by Mbappe:
In an interview with French channel Telefoot, he said:
“What he is doing at his age is amazing. It's really very very very high level."
In his two full seasons in Ligue 1, Mendy came up against PSG only twice and conceded to Mbappe just once, although that was in a 3-1 victory for his Stade Reims in 2019.
But with Chelsea and PSG both winning the first-leg of their last-16 ties in Europe, there's a possibility he could come up against the forward in the latter stages of the competition.
Chelsea ace reflects on Ballon d'Or, The Best award and more
Signed for £22 million in 2020 from Rennes, the Senegalese international has been a great buy for Chelsea with top-notch displays between the sticks, and managed resolving their long-standing goalkeeping malaise.
He played a key role in their Champions League success last year and earlier this month helped the Lions of Teranga to the 2021 African Cup of Nations title.
Mendy was also rewarded for his heroics with the best goalkeeper award by FIFA last month, and reflecting upon the same, he said:
"Being a black footballer, especially a goalkeeper, is also a very big responsibility, this title: it's the icing on the cake."
Despite all his accomplishments, Mendy was curiously dropped from the Ballon d'Or nominations in December, not even making the top 30.
He certainly wasn't happy with it and felt his name should've been there.
“My name deserved to be in the 30s."
With Chelsea still active in all three cup competitions, having also reached the finals of the Carabao Cup, Mendy is targeting more silverware.
But what he's most excited about is the World Cup, for which Senegal are yet to qualify.
Année de Coupe du monde oblige, Edouard Mendy en veut plus
“Je pense que le fait d’avoir percé sur le tard ça me donne cette faim, ça me donne cette envie d’aller chercher tout ce qui est possible.”
🇸🇳 Année de Coupe du monde oblige, Edouard Mendy en veut plus
🎙️ @BastienAL @JulienMaynard https://t.co/rt6uof0B67
They've drawn Egypt, whom they conquered in the AFCON finals this month, in the play-offs, and the winner will seal their place in the Qatar showpiece.
After accomplishing so much, Mendy is now looking for more success.
“I think that having made it late in life gives me this hunger, it gives me this desire to go after everything that is possible.”