'I am super proud' - Senegal goalie Mendy speaks after AFCON glory

Edouard Mendy was on the receiving end of plenty of praise following his penalty heroics in the Africa Cup of Nations final and discussed his pride at winning the trophy.

Senegal had never won the competition before, having suffered painful defeats in both of their previous appearances in the final, losing at the last stage in the previous tournament in 2019 and being defeated in a penalty shoot-out in 2002.

However, on this occasion it was the Teranga Lions who came out in top in the pressure of penalties, as Mendy made a crucial save to triumph 4-2 in the shoot-out after a 0-0 draw with Egypt in 120 minutes.

Although it was his team-mate Sadio Mane who converted the spot kick which sealed the victory, it was Mendy’s save down low to deny Egypt’s fourth taker Mahanad Lasheen which swung the shoot-out decisively in Senegal’s favour.

Having become the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in both the Cup of Nations final and the Champions League final, in addition to his crucial penalty save, it was no surprise to see Mendy named the tournament’s best keeper after the final, receiving both that honour and his FIFA Best Goalkeeper award on the pitch.

There was no shortage of praise heading his way either, with former Blues and Senegal striker Demba Ba labelling him ‘the last missing piece for Senegal to win the Africa Cup of Nations’, while current Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly gave him plenty of credit by saying: ‘We made it with our team and our power. Our goalkeeper is the best in the world and we win the title’.

Mendy himself was at the centre of Senegal’s celebrations as he was mobbed by team-mates at the conclusion of the shoot-out, and spoke of his pride at being part of the side which finally made Senegal African champions.

‘We are proud,’ said Mendy. ‘We never won it before. We worked really hard to win this trophy and today we won as a group and as a country and that is why I am super proud.

‘The penalties were tense for me, but also for the shooters. They did really well and I tried to give my best to save one shot and I did that, so I am super happy.’

Having already become an African and European champion with Senegal and Chelsea over the last year, Mendy will now meet up with his fellow Blues in Abu Dhabi to try and add a global title to that list in the FIFA Club World Cup.