Mendy retires from international football

Senegal national team goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 34, bringing an end to an impressive career with the Lions of Teranga.

Mendy says goodbye to the Senegal national team as one of the most celebrated goalkeepers in the country's history, having played a key role in one of the most successful periods of Senegalese football.

The experienced goalkeeper established himself as a standout figure between the posts for Senegal and was part of the team that won the 2021 African Cup of Nations (CAN) title in Cameroon, Senegal's first ever continental trophy.

"Thank you, Senegal"

The former Chelsea keeper confirmed his decision on Saturday, in a video published on his account Instagram, accompanied by the simple message: “Thank you, Senegal."

The video showed some of the best moments of his journey with the national team. Eligible to represent Guinea-Bissau and Senegal by descent and France by birth, Mendy began by playing for Guinea-Bissau in honor of his father.

However, he ended up opting for Senegal, where he became the starting goalkeeper at the 2019 African Cup of Nations, helping Senegal to second place.

He then won the 2021 African Cup of Nations, having also been voted the best goalkeeper of the tournament and finishing the final without conceding a goal. He reached another final with Senegal in the 2025 edition and also participated in the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and 2026.

Mendy made his debut for Senegal in 2018, under the command of former coach Aliou Cisse, and won 59 caps for the club. Lions of Teranga. He conceded 34 goals and managed an impressive 31 clean sheets for the national team.

In the 2019 edition of CAN, in Egypt, Mendy started Senegal's first two group stage games, a 2-0 victory against Tanzania and a 1-0 defeat against Algeria.

However, he was injured during the warm-up before the last group stage game against Kenya, and was forced to withdraw from the squad due to a broken finger, in an edition in which Senegal would lose the final 1-0 to Algeria.

Mendy represented Senegal at the 2022 World Cup, a competition in which the team reached the round of 16 for the first time since their debut in 2002. He started every game, including the final defeat against England.

Mendy was called up by Senegalese coach Pape Thiaw to the group of 26 players who competed in the 2026 World Cup.

In Senegal's second game against Norway, on 22 June, he was substituted in the second half after suffering a knee injury, and did not return to play in the tournament.

Mendy won the Champions League with Chelsea

At Chelsea, Mendy had a remarkable debut season and helped the English club win the Champions League in 2021.

In his first season at Stamford Bridge, Mendy won the starting line-up, becoming the first African goalkeeper to play for the club's first team, and finished the Premier League with 16 clean sheets.

Mendy also equaled the record for most clean sheets in a Champions League season, with nine, and kept a clean sheet again in the final, helping Chelsea win their second title.

He was honored with the UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year and The Best FIFA Goalkeeper of 2021 awards, becoming the first African goalkeeper in football history to win both awards.

Later, he continued his career in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli, adding another chapter to a football career already full of achievements.