Nampalys Mendy

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.

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.

Monaco

On 27 April 2010, Mendy signed his first professional contract, agreeing to a three-year deal with Monaco until June 2013. 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. 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. Mendy picked up his first ever red card on 19 August 2011 against Amiens, sent off at the 70th minute mark in a 1–1 draw. 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.

Nice

Mendy was linked to teams such as Manchester United and Arsenal. Despite calling Manchester…

Mendy was born in France, and is Senegalese by descent. 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. 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. 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. 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. In March 2021, Mendy received a first call-up to the Senegal national team, making his debut in a goalless draw with Congo. Mendy was part of Senegal's squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations; the Lions of…

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