Edouard Mendy

“As far as World Cup 98 is concerned I think everyone was really rooting for Zinedine Zidane because he was such a wonderful player. But for me, it's true that the tournament that stays with me a bit more was World Cup 2002 and particularly Senegal, who had such a wonderful tournament.”

“I know I made a lot of clean sheets but I'm not counting them. That's because it's not something that I make on my own. The goalkeeper is as important as the guy in front of him.”

“Whether I play short or long is up to me to see where the opportunity lies.”

“I have already taken English lessons in the past because my sister has lived in England for several years and her husband is English.”

“At the end of the day, I'm the one who has to make the stops, yes. But in front of me, there is a whole structure, ten players who move and complicate the task of the opponent. It's a team performance and not something I can own on my own.”

“I am very happy and proud of my success with the national team and Chelsea.”

“I didn't always want to be a goalkeeper, but I didn't have much of a future further up the pitch.”

“I joined Chelsea and it all went well for me.”

“In big clubs, you are expected to perform immediately, send good signals, show why they believed in you and perform or even super-perform.”

“I had a good friend who had a menswear shop, men's fashion. He was convinced I would do a good job for him. They offered me the chance to run the shop for them.”

“It's incredible because I've made people proud across the continent. Everywhere in Africa, when I walk in the street, people stop to congratulate me.”

“I went from unemployment to Marseille.”

“I am very happy to join Rennes. It is the realisation of long discussions with the president. It is an ambitious and humble club, which gives everything to achieve its set targets.”

“When I was unemployed and receiving benefits, it is true that it was really tough for me.”

“Am I one of the best goalkeepers in the world? I couldn't tell you, but for me the most important thing is to be the best for my team.”

“I had studied quite hard in the past and I had always been quite good at business and commerce.”

“I study. I study a lot. It's not about one striker or one team - we just have to focus on every striker, every team we play to win.”

“I don't set limits for myself.”

“To be at a club where such great goalkeepers have played is very important to me. I am aware of the expectations surrounding the goalkeeper position at Chelsea.”

“There's lots of African players in the Premier League and the Premier League is the best league in the world, so that's a really positive thing. But there are only a few African goalkeepers. Do I feel a particular pressure about that? Not really.”