Koulibaly hits out at Chelsea star's Ballon d'Or snub

After France Football unveiled the 30-man shortlist for the 2021 Ballon d’Or, Kalidou Koulibaly was disappointed to see his Edouard Mendy’s name missing.

Kalidou Koulibaly isn’t impressed at Senegal teammate Edouard Mendy’s Ballon d’Or shortlist snub, claiming African players have to work twice as hard to gain recognition.

A brilliant debut campaign at Chelsea saw Mendy become the first-choice keeper under two different managers. He kept 19 clean sheets in the Premier League and helped the Blues win the Champions League.

As a result, the 29-year-old won UEFA’s Goalkeeper of the Season in August and a nomination for the 2021 Yachine Trophy.

🇸🇳 Kalidou Koulibaly believes his Senegalese team mate Edouard Mendy should have made the Ballon d'Or shortlist this time round.

🥇 First African GK to win the UCL.

🥇 First African GK to win UEFA goalkeeper of the year.

Koulibaly does have a point…😳 pic.twitter.com/9BeVCstTXP

— Mozo Football (@MozoFootball) October 11, 2021

For the Ballon d’Or, however, Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma is the only goalkeeper in France Football’s 30-man shortlist.

“It’s a real shame that Edou [Mendy] isn’t one of them,” said Napoli and Senegal defender Koulibaly as per The Mirror.

“He is the first African goalkeeper to win the Champions League. We must continue to work and move forward. We have to do the double [the work] of some people to be well judged.

“Edou is a very positive person. We talked about it together. He will continue to fight to be part of it. For me, he has a place among these 30 players.”

Five of Mendy’s Chelsea teammates – N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Romelu Lukaku, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Jorginho – are on the Ballon d’Or shortlist for 2021.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah and Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez, meanwhile, are two players representing Africa on the shortlist.