Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy
Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has pushed back against criticisms that he and other players prioritised financial gains by joining Saudi Arabia’s football league, arguing that in his case, the critics missed the point.
Edouard Mendy, 33, joined Al-Ahli from Chelsea in a £16m deal in 2023.
He recently helped his Saudi team win the Asian Champions League, becoming one of the few players to have won this title and the European league, following an earlier victory in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Mendy faced criticism for joining the Saudi Pro League with many accusing him of prioritising money over prestige.
Reacting to such criticisms in a joint-BBC Sport and BBC Africa interview on June 26, Mendy said, “Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So, yes, that validates my choice. I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
Mendy said that while some people assume he joined the Saudi Pro League solely for the money, he had always been clear that his reason for leaving Chelsea was to join a team where he could win trophies which wasn’t possible for him at Chelsea at the time.
Chelsea has since won the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition under new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
This win comes after a trophyless period of two years under the current ownership which has frustrated some Chelsea fans following the success of the team under Roman Abramovich’s 19-year tenure.
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