Edouard Mendy, the Chelsea goalkeeper, claimed he ‘didn’t understand’ why he didn’t make the top 30 in the Ballon d’Or last year.
The Senegal goalkeeper became one of the best in the world after helping Chelsea win the Champions League by keeping a clean sheet in the final against Manchester City.
Mendy also had a strong season in the Premier League, with only City maintaining more clean sheets than the west Londoners in 2020-21.
In 52 league appearances since joining the London club in September 2020, he has kept 25 clean sheets.
The 29-year-old was voted Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper for his heroics, but he did not make the top 30 players in the Ballon d’Or.
Mendy told Téléfoot, a French football program, that he ‘didn’t understand’ the snub.
‘The best response was to stay on the field and demonstrate that my name deserved to be in the top 30.’
‘I think being African hurt me last year because I didn’t compete in any international tournaments.’