Mendy's remarkable rise from unemployment to Chelsea's Champions League hero

Chelsea 's Edouard Mendy may not have got his hands on the Carabao Cup, but as he turns 30 on Tuesday, the Blues goalkeeper has plenty of cause for celebration.

Liverpool denied the Senegalese stopper the chance to add to his trophy haul on Sunday, but that will in no way detract from his stunning success of recent seasons.

In the space of six years, Mendy has swapped unemployment for the status of one of the world's best in his position after playing a crucial role in Chelsea's Champions League triumph.

It's been a simply remarkable rise for the Blues' No 1.

Born in Normandy, Mendy began his footballing career in his native France with third division side Cherbourg, having learned his trade in Le Havre's famed academy.

Mendy was adored by those involved with the French minnows, however in 2014, the two parted ways following Cherbourg's relegation, with the aspiring goalkeeper's former agent pushing for him to go higher.

It was then that Mendy found himself at a career crossroads.

After a number of offers, including a reported move to an unnamed English League One club, fell through, the goalkeeper was left without a team and contemplating a different path as the magnitude of raising a family dawned on him.

"When one remains unemployed for a year, even with the best will in the world, doubt sets in," Mendy told Goal. "We think a lot; we try to weigh the pros and cons, to say to ourselves what is the best solution.

"I was going to be the father of a family and real questions arose [about my future in the game]. This is where my entourage played a major role.

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"If I had been badly surrounded, I would surely have stopped football. I cannot thank my family enough, my cousins. All the people who didn't give up on me."

After a year of unemployment, Mendy's fortunes changed when friend and former teammate Ted Lavie alerted him to an opening.

Marseille were on the lookout for a fourth-choice stopper and, following one call with the club's academy goalkeeping coach Dominique Bernatowicz, Mendy had been offered a lifeline.

Though there were setbacks during his short stint with Marseille, Mendy seized his chance, and the move would prove to be the pivotal springboard needed to not only get his career back on track, but to skyrocket it to new extremes.

Having done enough to impress Ligue 2 side Stade de Reims, Mendy was snapped up and his stellar displays led to Rennes securing his signature back in 2019.

The Senegalese stopper inspired the French club to a third-place finish and subsequent Champions League qualification, which helped him catch the eye of Premier League giants Chelsea.

After joining in September 2020 for a fee of £22million, Mendy swiftly usurped Chelsea's £71million man Kepa Arrizalabalaga to established himself as the club's go-to between the sticks, and he hasn't looked back since.

One of the club's stand-out performers as the Blues clinched a second Champions League crown, Mendy equalled the record for the most clean sheets in a single campaign and earned himself the honours of UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year and The Best FIFA Goalkeeper.

And his success has shown no sign of letting up.

Since conquering Europe, the stopper has helped Chelsea claim a Club World Cup crown and played an integral role in Senegal's maiden international success, the 2022 African Cup of Nations.

Having only just turned 30, there are plenty more chapters to come in the sensational story of Edouard Mendy.