Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was given a hero’s welcome by his Senegal teammates on his arrival at the national team camp on Thursday evening.
Players and members of the national team management waited until late on Thursday evening to welcome the 29-year-old, who helped Chelsea win the Uefa Champions League trophy last Saturday after a 1-0 victory over Manchester City.
Mendy is the second Senegalese player to lift the coveted European title after Sadio Mane won it with Liverpool in the 2018-19 season.
He played a vital role in the Blues’ successful European campaign with a record nine clean sheets in 12 games.
Following an impressive debut campaign in England, Mendy, who has made himself Chelsea’s no. 1, said he will continue working to improve his game.
"I don't set limits for myself. I try to be better and improve every day," he said.
"When you're in a team like Chelsea, you have to keep in mind that you have to improve and play well. This is the only way you can win titles and impose yourself over time.
"I am very proud and very happy to have lived this moment, it is something rare in the career of a player.
"We had built up a lot of confidence since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel. In particular against Manchester City, as we had beaten them twice. We knew we were better than them physically.
"In the stats, in the data, we were superior to them. We knew that we had to play the perfect game to win this trophy. And, tactically, we played the perfect game."
The 29-year-old will turn his attention to national team duty with Senegal preparing to face Zambia in Thies on Saturday, before taking on Cape Verde in another friendly match scheduled for June 8.
The former Rennes goalkeeper was part of the Teranga Lions set-up that finished second at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt and he is hoping to win the continental prize in Cameroon next year.
Mendy played two games at the last Afcon which were in the group stage against Tanzania and Algeria.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)