Nampalys Mendy

Nampalys Mendy (born 23 June 1992) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Leicester City.

Nampalys Mendy
Mendy playing for Nice in 2013
Personal information
Full name Nampalys Mendy[1]
Date of birth (1992-06-23) 23 June 1992[2]
Place of birth La Seyne-sur-Mer, France
Height 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[3]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Leicester City
Number 24
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– Leicester City 55 (0)
2017–2018 → Nice (loan) 14 (0)
National team‡
2009 France U18 3 (0)
2010–2011 France U19 8 (0)
2011–2013 France U20 13 (0)
2010–2014 France U21 5 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:42, 13 December 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19:03, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

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]

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.[5][6] 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.[7][8] 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.[9]

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.[10]

Nice

Mendy was linked to teams such as Manchester United and Arsenal.[10] Despite calling Manchester United his "dream club", Mendy rejected the move to the English side because he wanted to stay in France.[11] After some positive talks with Nice's manager, Claude Puel, Mendy decided to join OGC Nice on a free transfer.[12]

Mendy made his debut on 17 August 2013, in a 2–1 win against Stade Rennais.[13] After club captain Didier Digard left for Real Betis on a free transfer at the end of 2014–15 season,[14] and new captain Mathieu Bodmer was injured, Mendy was named captain.[15]

Mendy made 110 appearances in three seasons for Nice and helped them to a fourth-place finish in Ligue 1 in 2015–16.[16] 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.[17]

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.[18][19] The transfer record was broken again when Ahmed Musa joined Leicester for £16 million five days later,[20] and yet again less than two months later when Islam Slimani joined Leicester for £29 million.[21]

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.[22] He suffered an ankle injury on his league debut at home against Arsenal on 20 August 2016 and was substituted in the 53rd minute.[23][24] Mendy was sidelined for more than three months,[25] 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.[26] He ultimately made only four league appearances for the season.[27]

On 31 July 2017, Mendy rejoined Nice on loan.[28]

On 24 August 2020, Mendy signed a two-year contract extension with the club.[29]

International career

Mendy was born in France, and is of Senegalese descent.[30] 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.[31]

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.[32][33][34]

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.[35]

Personal life

Mendy is the cousin of fellow footballers Bafétimbi Gomis and Alexandre Mendy.[36]

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.[37]

Career statistics
As of match played 13 December 2020[38]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Monaco 2010–11 Ligue 1 140001000—150
2011–12 Ligue 2 280001000—290
2012–13 Ligue 2 320004000—360
Total 74000600000800
Nice 2013–14 Ligue 1 36030202[lower-alpha 1]0—430
2014–15 Ligue 1 360101000—380
2015–16 Ligue 1 381101000—401
Total 1101504020001211
Leicester City 2016–17 Premier League 4030001[lower-alpha 2]01[lower-alpha 3]090
2017–18 Premier League 000010—0010
2018–19 Premier League 3100010—00320
2019–20 Premier League 701000—0080
2020–21 Premier League 12000004[lower-alpha 1]000160
Total 54040205010660
Nice (loan) 2017–18 Ligue 1 14010004[lower-alpha 1]000190
Career total 2521100120110102861
  1. Appearances in the Europa League
  2. Appearance in the Champions League
  3. Appearance in the Community Shield

Honours

Monaco

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. "Premier contrat professionnel pour Nampalys Mendy". Le Parisien (in French). 27 April 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
  6. "Nampalys Mendy passe pro". L'Equipe (in French). 27 April 2010. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
  7. "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.
  8. "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.
  9. "Monaco vs. Amiens SC 1 – 1 (8/11/11)". Soccerway. 11 August 2011.
  10. "Nampalys Mendy: Nice right move". ESPN. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  11. "Mendy: Man United my 'dream club'". ESPN. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  12. "Nice midfielder Nanpalys Mendy denies Manchester United link". Sky Sports. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  13. "Nice vs. Rennes 2 – 1 (8/17/13)". 17 August 2013.
  14. "Real Betis signs Didier Digard for the next three seasons". 8 July 2015. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016.
  15. "Bodmer, Pouplin join Nice injury list". Yahoo Sports. 10 August 2015.
  16. "Nampalys Mendy can be Leicester's unlikely hero with or without Kante". Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  17. Adam Bate (27 July 2016), Leicester's new signings: The stats that made them stand out, Sky Sports, retrieved 9 January 2017
  18. "Nampalys Mendy: Leicester City sign midfielder from Nice". Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  19. "Leicester City sign Nampalys Mendy from OGC Nice on four-year deal". Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  20. "Leicester City seal signing of Nigeria's Ahmed Musa from CSKA Moscow". Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  21. "Islam Slimani: Leicester City sign Sporting Lisbon forward". Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  22. Chris Bevan (7 August 2016), Community Shield: Leicester City 1–2 Manchester United, BBC Sport, retrieved 17 January 2017
  23. Phil McNulty (20 August 2016), Leicester City 0–0 Arsenal, BBC Sport, retrieved 17 January 2017
  24. Jordan Brown (30 September 2016), Nampalys Mendy nearing Leicester City return following ankle injury, Sky Sports, retrieved 17 January 2017
  25. 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
  26. Gary Rose (7 December 2016), FC Porto 5–0 Leicester City, BBC Sport, retrieved 17 January 2017
  27. Smith, Jamie (27 June 2017). "Leicester midfielder Mendy wants Bordeaux move". Goal. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  28. "Leicester City send Nampalys Mendy back to Nice on loan". ESPN FC. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  29. "Leicester City: Nampalys Mendy & James Maddison sign new contracts". BBC Sport. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  30. "Leicester : Sénégalais d'origine, Nampalys Mendy ne jure que par l'équipe de France".
  31. "France v. Denmark Match Report". French Football Federation. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  32. "France v. San Marino Match Report". Union of European Football Associations. 8 October 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  33. "France v. Montenegro Match Report". Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  34. "Austria v. France Match Report". Union of European Football Associations. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  35. "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.
  36. "Alexandre et Nampalys Mendy, une histoire de famille dans le mercato bordelais ?". girondins33.com. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  37. Chaudhary, Vyom. "'New Makelele' Mendy thrilled to reunite with Ranieri at Leicester". Tribal Football. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  38. Nampalys Mendy at Soccerway. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
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