Nampalys Mendy

Nampalys Mendy

Mendy playing for Nice in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Nampalys Mendy [1]
Date of birth	(1992-06-23) 23 June 1992 (age 31) [2]
Place of birth	La Seyne-sur-Mer, France
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) [3]
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Lens
Number	26
Youth career
1998–1999	La Beaucaire Toulon
1999–2001	Toulon Le Las
2001–2005	RCF Toulon
2005–2007	Toulon
2007–2010	Monaco
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2010–2012	Monaco B	12	(0)
2010–2013	Monaco	74	(0)
2013–2016	Nice	110	(1)
2016–2023	Leicester City	98	(1)
2017–2018	→ Nice (loan)	14	(0)
2023–	Lens	11	(0)
International career‡
2009	France U18	3	(0)
2010–2011	France U19	8	(0)
2011–2013	France U20	13	(0)
2010–2014	France U21	5	(0)
2021–	Senegal	27	(0)
Medal record Men's football Representing   Senegal Africa Cup of Nations Winner 2021 Cameroon
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 March 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:06, 20 June 2023 (UTC)

Nampalys Mendy (born 23 June 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Ligue 1 club Lens. Born in France, he represents Senegal at international level.

Due to his small stature, simple distribution, and reliable style of play, Mendy has been compared to former French international, Claude Makélélé. Monaco club scout Didier Christophe, for example, referred to Mendy as a "carbon copy" of Makélélé. ^[4] Mendy featured in Senegal's 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Final victory against Egypt. ^[5]

Club career

Early career

After leaving Sporting Toulon in June 2007, Mendy went on trial with the football section of RC Toulon. According to Monaco scout Didier Christophe, the Toulon coaches stated that Mendy was there to "make up the numbers". However, while observing Mendy in training, Christophe noticed the player's intelligence and understanding of the game and recommended him to Dominique Bijotat, who was serving as head of the Monaco youth academy. ^[4]

Monaco

On 27 April 2010, Mendy signed his first professional contract, agreeing to a three-year deal with Monaco until June 2013. ^{[6] [7]} In July 2010, he was called up to the first team by manager Guy Lacombe for pre-season training, again to make up the numbers with Lacombe missing several players such as Diego Pérez, Nicolas Nkoulou, Park Chu-young, and Lukman Haruna, who had all participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. ^[4]

On 7 August 2010, Mendy made his professional debut in the club's opening league match against Lyon. He played the entire 90 minutes, receiving a yellow card in the second half. ^{[8] [9]} Mendy picked up his first ever red card on 19 August 2011 against Amiens SC, sent off at the 70th minute mark in a 1–1 draw. ^[10]

During the 2012–13 season, Mendy played a key role in Monaco's promotion back to Ligue 1. Despite the successful season, Mendy decided to leave Monaco at the end of the season after his contract expired. ^[11]

Nice

Mendy was linked to teams such as Manchester United and Arsenal. ^[11] Despite calling Manchester United his "dream club", Mendy rejected the move to the English side because he wanted to stay in France. ^[12] After some positive talks with Nice's manager, Claude Puel, Mendy decided to join OGC Nice on a free transfer. ^[13]

Mendy made his debut on 17 August 2013, in a 2–1 win against Stade Rennais. ^[14] After club captain Didier Digard left for Real Betis on a free transfer at the end of 2014–15 season, ^[15] and new captain Mathieu Bodmer was injured, Mendy was named captain. ^[16]

Mendy made 110 appearances in three seasons for Nice and helped them to a fourth-place finish in Ligue 1 in 2015–16. ^[17] He had the second highest number of passes behind Thiago Motta (2950), the most passes per game (78), and a passing accuracy of (92%), best of any player not a member of Paris Saint-Germain. ^[18]

Leicester City

Mendy (in blue) playing for Leicester City in 2017

On 3 July 2016, Mendy moved to English Premier League champions Leicester City, managed by his former boss at Monaco, Claudio Ranieri, signing a four-year deal for £13 million, a club record at the time. ^{[19] [20]} The transfer record was broken again when Ahmed Musa joined Leicester for £16 million five days later, ^[21] and yet again less than two months later when Islam Slimani joined Leicester for £29 million. ^[22]

Mendy played his first competitive game for Leicester in a 2–1 defeat to Manchester United in the 2016 FA Community Shield on 7 August, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute for Andy King. ^[23] He suffered an ankle injury on his league debut at home against Arsenal on 20 August 2016 and was substituted in the 53rd minute. ^{[24] [25]} Mendy was sidelined for more than three months, ^[26] and did not make his return until 7 December 2016 in a Champions League group stage match away to Porto, playing the entire game in a 5–0 defeat. ^[27] He ultimately made only four league appearances for the season. ^[28]

On 31 July 2017, Mendy rejoined Nice on loan. ^[29]

On 24 August 2020, Mendy signed a two-year contract extension with the club. ^[30]

On 10 September 2021, Mendy was left out of Leicester's final 25-man Premier League squad for the 2021–22 season. ^[31] However he was then included again when the squad was updated after the January 2022 transfer window. ^[32]

Mendy scored his first goal for Leicester against Tottenham on 11 February 2023. ^[33]

On 5 June 2023, following the club's relegation from the Premier League, it was announced that Mendy and six other first team players would be leaving the club upon the expiration of their contracts at the end of the month. ^[34]

Lens

On 4 September 2023, Mendy joined Ligue 1 club Lens on a two year contract as a free agent. ^[35]

International career

Mendy was born in France, and is Senegalese by descent. ^[36] Mendy is a former French youth international having earned caps at the under-17, under-18, and under-19 levels. With the under-17 team, he went unnoticed by coach Philippe Bergeroo until the 2009 UEFA European Under-17 Championship when he was finally called up to the team. Mendy appeared in all three group stage matches as France were eliminated without winning a match. With the under-18 team, he made his debut on 29 October 2009 in a friendly match against the Denmark. ^[37]

Mendy was initially called up to the under-19 team in August 2010 only to play in the Sendai Cup in Japan, but due to his consistent performances domestically, Monaco coach Guy Lacombe convinced Bergeroo to make him a permanent part of the squad. ^[4] He was officially called up to the under-19 team for qualification matches for the 2011 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. Mendy made his debut with the team in a 3–0 victory over San Marino and appeared as a starter in the next two qualification matches against Montenegro and Austria, as France won both matches to finish the round undefeated. ^{[38] [39] [40]}

On 9 November 2010, while still eligible to represent the under-19 and under-20 teams, Mendy was called up to the under-21 team for a friendly match against Russia. ^[41]

In March 2021, Mendy received a first call-up to the Senegal national team, making his debut in a goalless draw with Congo. ^[42]

Mendy was part of Senegal's squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations; the Lions of Teranga went on to win the tournament for the first time in their history, ^{[43] [44]} with Mendy being named in CAF's Team of the Tournament. ^[45]

Mendy played in all four of Senegal's matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup as the nation reached the round of 16 for the first time since its debut in 2002. ^[46]

In December 2023, he was named in Senegal's squad for the postponed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in the Ivory Coast. ^[47]

Personal life

Mendy is the cousin of fellow footballers Bafétimbi Gomis and Alexandre Mendy. ^[48]

He was appointed a Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion by President of Senegal Macky Sall following the nation's victory at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. ^[49]

Style of play

Mendy is a defensive midfielder known for his resilience, intelligence, and good distribution of the ball. Despite his age and size, Mendy has been praised for his mature and robust play, inviting comparison with former France international Claude Makélélé. ^[50]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 16 March 2024 ^[51]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Monaco	2010–11	Ligue 1	14	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		15	0
	2011–12	Ligue 2	28	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		29	0
	2012–13	Ligue 2	32	0	0	0	4	0	—		—		36	0
	Total		74	0	0	0	6	0	0	0	—		80	0
Nice	2013–14	Ligue 1	36	0	3	0	2	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	—		43	0
	2014–15	Ligue 1	36	0	1	0	1	0	—		—		38	0
	2015–16	Ligue 1	38	1	1	0	1	0	—		—		40	1
	Total		110	1	5	0	4	0	2	0	—		121	1
Leicester City	2016–17	Premier League	4	0	3	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	9	0
	2017–18	Premier League	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		1	0
	2018–19	Premier League	31	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		32	0
	2019–20	Premier League	7	0	1	0	0	0	—		—		8	0
	2020–21	Premier League	23	0	2	0	0	0	4 [lower-alpha 1]	0	—		29	0
	2021–22	Premier League	14	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	15	0
	2022–23	Premier League	19	1	3	0	2	0	—		—		24	1
	Total		98	1	9	0	5	0	5	0	1	0	118	1
Nice (loan)	2017–18	Ligue 1	14	0	1	0	0	0	4 [lower-alpha 1]	0	—		19	0
Lens	2023–24	Ligue 1	11	0	0	0	—		2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	—		13	0
Career total			307	2	15	0	15	0	13	0	1	0	351	2

1. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
2. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
3. Appearance in FA Community Shield

International

As of match played 20 June 2023 ^[52]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Senegal	2021	8	0
	2022	15	0
	2023	4	0
Total		27	0

Honours

Monaco

• Ligue 2: 2012–13 ^[51]

Leicester City

• FA Cup: 2020–21 ^[53]

Senegal

• Africa Cup of Nations: 2021 ^[54]

Individual

• Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2021 ^[55]

Orders

• Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion: 2022 ^[56]

References

1. "2020/21 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
2. "Nampalys Mendy: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
3. "Nampalys Mendy". Leicester City F.C. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
4. "Nampalys Mendy, un petit futur grand" (in French). Planete ASM. 18 September 2010. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
5. "Senegal (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
6. "Premier contrat professionnel pour Nampalys Mendy". Le Parisien (in French). 27 April 2010. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
7. "Nampalys Mendy passe pro". L'Equipe (in French). 27 April 2010. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
8. "F. Bulot et N. Mendy : Premières en L1". AS Monaco FC (in French). 7 August 2010. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
9. "Lyon v. Monaco Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 7 August 2010. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
10. "Monaco vs. Amiens SC 1 – 1 (8/11/11)". Soccerway. 11 August 2011.
11. "Nampalys Mendy: Nice right move". ESPN. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
12. "Mendy: Man United my 'dream club'". ESPN. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
13. "Nice midfielder Nanpalys Mendy denies Manchester United link". Sky Sports. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
14. "Nice vs. Rennes 2 – 1 (8/17/13)". 17 August 2013.
15. "Real Betis signs Didier Digard for the next three seasons". 8 July 2015. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016.
16. "Bodmer, Pouplin join Nice injury list". Yahoo Sports. 10 August 2015. Archived from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
17. "Nampalys Mendy can be Leicester's unlikely hero with or without Kante" . Retrieved 8 July 2016.
18. Adam Bate (27 July 2016), Leicester's new signings: The stats that made them stand out, Sky Sports, retrieved 9 January 2017
19. "Nampalys Mendy: Leicester City sign midfielder from Nice". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
20. "Leicester City sign Nampalys Mendy from OGC Nice on four-year deal" . Retrieved 8 July 2016.
21. "Leicester City seal signing of Nigeria's Ahmed Musa from CSKA Moscow" . Retrieved 8 July 2016.
22. "Islam Slimani: Leicester City sign Sporting Lisbon forward". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
23. Chris Bevan (7 August 2016), Community Shield: Leicester City 1–2 Manchester United, BBC Sport, retrieved 17 January 2017
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26. Rob Tanner (15 January 2017), "Leicester City midfielder Papy Mendy says he is getting back to his best form after injury nightmare", Leicester Mercury, retrieved 17 January 2017^{[ permanent dead link ]}
27. Gary Rose (7 December 2016), FC Porto 5–0 Leicester City, BBC Sport, retrieved 17 January 2017
28. Smith, Jamie (27 June 2017). "Leicester midfielder Mendy wants Bordeaux move". Goal. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
29. "Leicester City send Nampalys Mendy back to Nice on loan". ESPN FC. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
30. "Leicester City: Nampalys Mendy & James Maddison sign new contracts". BBC Sport. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
31. "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". 10 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
32. "Updated squad lists for 2021/22 Premier League". 4 February 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
33. Begley, Emlyn (11 February 2023). "Leicester City 4-1 Tottenham Hotspur: Foxes come back for impressive victory". BBC Sport . Retrieved 11 February 2023.
34. "Seven Players To Depart LCFC". Leicester City F.C. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
35. "NAMPALYS MENDY, EXPÉRIENCE ET LEADERSHIP DANS L'ENTREJEU". RC Lens. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
36. "Leicester : Sénégalais d'origine, Nampalys Mendy ne jure que par l'équipe de France". 3 October 2020.
37. "France v. Denmark Match Report". French Football Federation . 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
38. "France v. San Marino Match Report". Union of European Football Associations . 8 October 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
39. "France v. Montenegro Match Report". Union of European Football Associations . 10 October 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
40. "Austria v. France Match Report". Union of European Football Associations . 13 October 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
41. "Nampalys Mendy avec les Bleuets". AS Monaco FC (in French). 11 November 2010. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
42. "Mendy Makes Senegal Debut In Congo Stalemate". lcfc.com. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
43. "Cisse unveils Senegal squad, hopes for elusive TotalEnergies AFCON title". Confederation of African Football. 25 December 2021. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
44. "Senegal 0-0 Egypt". BBC Sport . 7 February 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
45. "Mane and Salah star in AFCON 2021 Best XI". Marca. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
46. "Senegal Squad". ESPN UK. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
47. "Afcon 2023: Senegal and Sadio Mane set for defence of title". BBC Sport Africa. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
48. "Alexandre et Nampalys Mendy, une histoire de famille dans le mercato bordelais ?". girondins33.com. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
49. "Cash prizes, real estate, and highest honours as Senegal celebrates Nations Cup heroes". Reuters . 8 February 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
50. Chaudhary, Vyom. "'New Makelele' Mendy thrilled to reunite with Ranieri at Leicester". Tribal Football. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
51. Nampalys Mendy at Soccerway. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
52. "Nampalys Mendy". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
53. McNulty, Phil (15 May 2021). "Chelsea 0–1 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
54. "Africa Cup Of Nations: Senegal Beat Egypt To Win Final (AFCON)". Sports Illustrated. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
55. @CAF_Online (7 February 2022). "Not your average players Here is the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 best XI #AFCON2021" (Tweet). Retrieved 7 February 2022– via Twitter.
56. "Cash prizes, real estate, and highest honours as Senegal celebrates Nations Cup heroes". Reuters . 8 February 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2023.

External links

• Profile at the Leicester City F.C. website
• Nampalys Mendy at the French Football Federation (in French)
• Nampalys Mendy at the French Football Federation (archived) (in French)
• Nampalys Mendy – French league stats at LFP – also available in French (archived)
• Nampalys Mendy at L'Équipe Football (in French)
• Nampalys Mendy at Soccerbase