"Best in the world" - Kalidou Koulibaly lavishes praise on Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy for his role in Senegal's AFCON triumph

Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was a standout performer for Senegal as they made history by going all the way to claim the AFCON trophy yesterday. Following his heroics, Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly has hailed the Blues star as the best goalkeeper in the world.

Senegal had to settle their score against Egypt via a penalty shoot-out after playing a goalless draw across 120 minutes. Edouard Mendy stepped up and made a vital save to win the tie for his nation and Kalidou Koulibaly couldn't help but shower praise on the Chelsea goalkeeper.

The Senegal captain told reporters:

"It was a tough game and a tough tournament. We made it with our team and our power. Our goalkeeper is the best in the world and we won the title."

Koulibaly went ahead to suggest Senegal didn't expect to have it easy at the AFCON this year. The Napoli centre-back insists his nation deserved to win the title, which they've kept their eyes on for a long time.

The defender continued:

"We feel happy. We knew it would be hard to win the Africa Cup of Nations but today we made it. Our team deserved to win this title. We had been looking for this for a long time and now we have it. This team is magnificent."

Reacting to the triumph, Edouard Mendy also told reporters of his pride and happiness in winning the AFCON with his nation.

The goalkeeper continues to impress with club and country

Edouard Mendy's AFCON success: another incredible milestone for the Chelsea goalkeeper

The Senegalese was quite impressive last year as he helped Chelsea claim the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup. By leading his nation to an AFCON triumph yesterday, he's joined a list of very few players to have won both tournaments in their careers.

Mendy continues to impress with his exploits between the sticks. The goalkeeper has made 26 appearances for the Blues across all competitions so far this season, recording 12 clean sheets to his name.

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Arnav Kholkar