Edward Mendy: I ​​can win everything when I go to Jeddah nationals, but that Chelsea is not like this

June 26, Senegalese goalkeeper Edward Mendy is currently playing for Jeddah National. He left Chelsea to join Jeddah National in the summer of 2023, with a transfer fee of 16 million pounds. Like many players heading to Saudi Arabia, Mendy has been accused of making this choice for the sake of money.

In an interview with the BBC, Edward Mendy responded: "When the Jeddah Nationals' program appeared in front of me, they made me feel that I could play an important role. Two years later, we won the first AFC Champions League in the history of the club. So, yes, this confirms the correctness of my choice, and I hope that this will be further confirmed in the next few years.

"Some people always easily concluded that the only reason (transfer to the Saudi League) is money. From the beginning, I kept saying that when I left Chelsea, I knew I joined a team, a team that I could win everything, but that wasn't the case with that Chelsea. ”

Yakaar School is located in the Keur Massar area of ​​Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The school is committed to providing financial support and some learning tools for local poor children. Edward Mendy is a sponsor of the school, and the term "Yakaar" means hope. Mendy, 22, suffered unemployment while in France and had difficulties in finding a club, and now his family still lives in the suburbs of Dakar.

Edward Mendy said: "Hope is the driving force for me to move forward. When I don't have a club, it is the motivation to keep looking for my first career contract. Then there is the hope of playing on behalf of the national team, and the hope of making my family proud by doing the work I have always dreamed of. Indeed, ‘hope’ is the most appropriate description of my career. ”

As a goalkeeper from Africa, does it make him feel extra heavy responsibility? Mendy said: “Of course, when I played in England, there were not many African goalkeepers in the top clubs. I shoulder such a responsibility whether in domestic or international arena. There are also goalkeepers like Onana and Bunu who also come from Africa. ”