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Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly believes fellow Senegalese Edouard Mendy deserved to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or following his exploits with Chelsea last season.
Koulibaly feels Mendy deserves a place in the 30-man nomination list for the Ballon d'Or since he is the first African goalkeeper to lift the Champions League. The Napoli defender added that African players have to do "double" the work to get the recognition they deserve.
Despite the snub, Koulibaly has stated that Mendy is a "positive" individual and that the Chelsea goalkeeper will continue to fight for recognition.
Speaking to Senegalese media, Wiwsport TV (via The Chelsea Chronicle), Koulibaly said:
“Now it’s a real shame that Edou (Mendy) isn’t one of them. He is the first African goalkeeper to win the Champions League. We must continue to work and move forward. We have to do the double [the work] of some people’s to be well judged.”
“Edou is a very positive person. We talked about it together. He will continue to fight to be part of it. But for me, he has a place among these 30 players.”
Despite not being nominated for the 2021 Ballon d'Or, Edouard Mendy is one of the 10 goalkeepers nominated for the Yashin Trophy. The trophy is awarded to the best goalkeeper from the past season.
Edouard Mendy was signed by Chelsea from Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais for around £22 million following some high-profile errors from Kepa Arrizabalaga. Since then, the 29-year-old shot-stopper has established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge.
Edouard Mendy was one of the most important players in Chelsea's Champions League triumph last season. He even managed to keep a clean sheet in the final against Manchester City.
5 Chelsea players nominated for 2021 Ballon d'Or
Chelsea have as many as five players nominated for the 2021 Ballon d'Or. The nominees include the likes of Jorginho, Mason Mount, Romelu Lukaku, Cesar Azpilicueta and N'Golo Kante.
Amongst the Chelsea nominees, Italian midfielder Jorginho has been tipped by many as one of the favorites to win this year's Ballon d'Or. Jorginho enjoyed a stellar year with Chelsea and the Italian national team.
It is worth noting that no Chelsea player has ever lifted the Ballon d'Or. The closest a Blues player has come was when Frank Lampard finished second behind Barcelona superstar Ronaldinho during the 2005 Ballon d'Or ceremony.
Jorginho is expected to face stiff competition from PSG superstar Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich ace Robert Lewandowski.
