Once again Edouard Mendy has shown up for his country when it mattered most. The 28-year-old's heroics gave Senegal their pass into the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
I can go on and on, shouting to the ends of the Earth about how much of an achievement this is for the Chelsea goalkeeper, but the accolade speaks for itself. Yashin Award winner Gianluigi Donnarumma will be looking at Mendy in admiration as Italy face elimination just last week.
It's no secret that Chelsea fans have been left with a sore spot following last year's Ballon d'Or awards. Whilst Chelsea won the new "Best Club of the Year" award, their players fell short of winning the top prize. Jorginho was beaten to the ultimate prize by Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski. Mendy was runner up to Donnarumma.
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Forgive my scrutiny on such a top goal scorer, but my opinion on the actual deserved Yashin award winner has proven to be somewhat correct. Gianluigi Donnarumma had an amazing year in 2021. His final year with AC Milan proved pivotal for the Rossoneri, but it was his performance in the Euros that tipped him ahead of Edouard Mendy.
Despite winning the Champions League, and equalling the record for the most clean sheets kept in the competition, it was not enough for the win. Mendy has been nothing short of a success story since he joined the Blues back in the summer of 2020. There will be many more opportunities to win the award, but his teammates, Kalidou Koulibaly and Sadio Mane expressed their feelings of distaste. The omission of Mendy from the 30 men shortlist opened a can of worms and was met with outrage from the Chelsea fan base. Mane himself said the decision was "unacceptable".
Unfortunately, the reigning European Championship winners have fallen short and not qualified for this year's World Cup. I felt for Jorginho, a fellow Chelsea player who deserved his time on the world's big stage. It was nobody's fault on the day, but Italy could have done more - with Jorginho himself admitting missed penalties in qualifying would "haunt" him. With their omission from the World Cup, I can only assess Edouard Mendy's competition for this year's Yashin award.
It was only Donnarumma who was able to beat Mendy to the top. Taking a look at the rest of the list, surely the Senegalese goalkeeper can have a case for wielding the award later this year? His competition includes: Jan Oblak, Ederson, Manuel Neuer, Emiliano Martinez, Kasper Schmeichel, Thibaut Courtois, Keylor Navas, Samir Handanovic.
The year is not over yet. We are only just about to enter April. I am definitely getting ahead of myself. The World Cup winner would not play a factor in choosing the Yashin Award winner as this year, the ceremony has been pushed up to October. With the World Cup starting in November, I assure you that there is a large enough case for Mendy to receive the award this time around. And be shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or.
The only thing standing in his way is probably a Champions League winner. This could be any one of Ederson, Oblak, Neuer, or Courtois. The competition is fierce, so Chelsea will do their best to win retain their European crown. If not, and Senegal by some slim chance win the World Cup, then I will make an award and give it to him myself!
