Senegal will begin a new cycle without Édouard Mendy after the 34-year-old confirmed his international retirement last week, removing a veteran presence from the squad’s spine.
The decision concludes a 59-cap run that included two Africa Cup of Nations finals in four years, a Champions League title with Chelsea in 2021 and two Asian Champions League wins with Al-Ahli. Mendy presented his exit as a personal decision rather than the result of dispute, and he said a call from Patrick Vieira, the new Senegal manager, could not change his mind. After asking for time to reflect, he rang Vieira back to decline a recall.
Mendy pointed to the period after the Afcon as decisive in his thinking. He remains emphatic about his place in Senegal’s history and about the contested 2023 Afcon final against Morocco, recalling chaotic closing moments in Rabat and a late penalty save from Brahim Díaz. "I realised two steps before he shot … usually when a player does a Panenka they slow down for the last step, but I noticed he did it early," Mendy said of the stop. He added, "Yes, we have won it twice," rejecting the later annulment of the outcome.
Four minutes into extra time Pape Gueye scored and Senegal celebrated, though the Confederation of African Football later awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory and a Court of Arbitration hearing over the appeal is scheduled for next month. That unresolved legal process means the continental record could still be altered, a factor that will shadow the squad as it rebuilds.
Mendy reflected on the different weight of club and country, calling the Afcon triumph "the best moment of my football career: it was 10 times better [than the Champions League]." He also noted individual recognition during his career, including The Best goalkeeper award, a World Cup disrupted by a knee injury against Norway, and a Yashin Trophy nomination while playing in Saudi Arabia. "To be nominated for the Yashin trophy while I play in Saudi Arabia means a lot to me," he said.
With Mendy stepping away, he expressed confidence in the next generation, naming Monaco’s Lamine Camara and Aston Villa’s Ibrahim Mbaye as players who could carry Senegal forward. Immediate questions for Vieira and the squad include who will inherit the starting jersey, how the manager will shape the team without Mendy’s presence, and how the CAS ruling will finally be recorded in the continental histories.
