Senegal defender, Kalidou Koulibaly, has slammed Ballon d’Or organizers for not including his compatriot, Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy in their 30-man shortlist.
Mendy enjoyed a stunning debut season in the Premier League and capped it off by winning the Champions League, as the Blues defeated Manchester City 1-0.
The £22m signing from Rennes has enjoyed a remarkable rise, having made his senior debut with lower league Cherbourg 10 years ago.
He then went on to play for Marseille’s B team, Reims and Rennes.
Koulibaly thinks Mendy should have been recognised on the Ballon d’Or shortlist, which was released last week.
“It’s a real shame that Edou isn’t one of them [on the list].
“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 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. For me, he has a place among these 30 players,”
He told reporters after Senegal’s 4-1 win over Namibia in a World Cup qualifier.
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