Real Madrid: Don’t forget about Ferland Mendy
Real Madrid purchased left back Ferland Mendy from Lyon for 50 million euros, and the defender did not disappoint in his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu.
When discussing Real Madrid‘s most important players from the 2019-2020 season, Ferland Mendy often gets overlooked. The French left back joined Los Blancos from Lyon for 50 million euros as a target of Zinedine Zidane‘s, with the manager seeing the defender as a key part of the picture.
It didn’t take long for Mendy to assert himself as the favored option at left back, as the team was markedly better with him in the lineup defensively. Although Marcelo redeemed himself with a great performance in El Clasico, his mistakes in losses to Levante and Real Sociedad in the second half of the season were reminders that Mendy set the standard at left back.
Mendy is mostly known for his defensive work, but he consistently became a bigger part of the attack as the season wore on. He even provided the winning assist for Karim Benzema in February’s Derbi win over Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, making a great run off the ball before latching onto Vinicius Junior‘s set-up pass.
With his tactical awareness, closing speed, and confidence in the tackle, Mendy was basically never caught out. He had some truly brilliant performances throughout the 2019-2020 season, with his first star-making display coming against the tricky Lucas Ocampos and Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan in September.
According to WhoScored.com, Mendy recorded 1.4 tackles per game and 1.1 interceptions per game in La Liga with 1.8 tackles per game across three starts and one substitute appearance in the Champions League. Those are impressive numbers indeed.
Offensively, Mendy was active and played a key role in build-up play, even if he would record fewer touches than either Dani Carvajal or Marcelo. Per WhoScored.com, Mendy averaged one key pass per game and 1.8 dribbles per game in the Champions League with similar numbers in La Liga. Both of those stats highlight Mendy’s desire to help the forwards in the final third and his underrated ability as a ball-carrier. He looked particularly good when combining with Eden Hazard.
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As Real Madrid welcome back Achraf Hakimi and Sergio Reguilon from tremendous loan spells at Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla, respectively, it’s easy to forget about Ferland Mendy amidst the excitement. But don’t. Because Mendy immediately showed he is one of the best fullbacks in European football, providing steady defensive work and high work rate on the offensive end. He could be a tremendous complement to the more attacking-minded Hakimi in 2020-2021.