Real Madrid defeated Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night in the Champions League. Overall, it was a comprehensive performance with several standouts, including Vinicius Junior with his two goals and assist. Yet the player who received the most attention from hardcore Madridistas from start to finish was left back Ferland Mendy.
Fans were excited when they learned Mendy could potentially make his return from injury against Shakhtar, having missed the last several months with an overuse injury to his tibia. Mendy was indeed able to start against Shakhtar, and it took him only a couple of minutes to raise the floor that was the Real Madrid defense.
For weeks, Los Blancos were in bad shape defensively. They could not find any sort of solidity on the flanks, and defensive midfielder Casemiro was having a tough time filling in the gaps without the midfield control that Toni Kroos provides. Real were overworked, while the center back duo of Eder Militao and David Alaba had to barely keep things above water by constantly cutting out danger.
Real Madrid played their most complete game of the season with Ferland Mendy and Toni Kroos in the lineup, and that is no coincidence. Kroos’ importance to Madrid is already well-established. And, with the exception of a few uneducated folks who masquerade themselves as analysts, he is regarded as one of the best of his generation.
Ferland Mendy gives Real Madrid confidence as a team
Mendy, on the other hand, remains overlooked. Though amongst Madridistas, he has become something of a hero. From the moment he arrived in Madrid, Mendy took club legend Marcelo’s place and made the left back position his own, doing so with world-class defending. It is not a stretch to put Mendy above any other fullback in the world defensively.
We saw those qualities on Tuesday night in Kyiv. Mendy recovered so many balls in the defensive third, and he did not give up any space or time to the Shakhtar players. Real Madrid suffer whenever Mendy is out, and that is because nobody provides the covering he does on the flank. Mendy is sharp mentally and capable of closing down anyone, including players outside of his normal defensive area. And that enables the right back to push up more aggressively, which is an especially huge positive for a player like Lucas Vazquez who is no right back.
Kroos, Casemiro, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Thibaut Courtois, and now Vinicius Junior are spoken about as among the best players in the world at their positions. They will all be important this weekend in El Clasico. And yet, there is a case to be made that Mendy, despite not being seen as world-class in the mainstream or receiving as much adulation as these players, is as important as any of them.
Just look at how much more confident Real Madrid play with Mendy swallowing up the entire flank both defensively and with his tireless charges in attacking support play. Observe how assured Los Blancos look with Mendy, and then contrast that to how disorganized and panicked the back four (five?) appears when he is absent.
Mendy is invaluable to Real Madrid. Though he has his flaws technically, his strengths are so, so much more important to this team. Because if you look across Europe, you will not find a player who comes close to replicating the specific qualities Mendy has. To a team like Real that is so focused on attacking, getting Mendy’s work rate, quick-thinking, and perfection in the tackle is a gift that must be cherished.