From being to told he may never play football again to becoming Real Madrid’s left-back is an incredible feat, but it’s one that Ferland Mendy has achieved. Developing arthritis as a teenager through a hip injury, Mendy was confined to a wheelchair at one point, but he refused to let his dream becoming like his hero, Ronaldinho, die. After re-learning how to walk, he progressed re-learning how to kick a ball, and so embarked on a career that has taken him to the first team of one the world’s most iconic teams.
Mendy was born in the Paris suburb of Meulan-en-Yvelines in 1995. He was a schoolboy with Paris Saint-Germain when his injury troubles began and, once recovered, joined FC Mantois, a fourth-division team in his hometown. He soon came to the attention of Ligue 2 club Le Havre. After a spell in their reserves, he made his senior debut for them in 2015. Within two years, he’d been spotted and snapped up by Ligue 1 side Lyon. He spent two successful seasons with them, helping them to back-to-back third-place finishes and Champions League qualifications. Both seasons saw him named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year by the UNFP.
Unsurprisingly, other big clubs took note, and in 2019, Real Madrid signed Mendy in a deal worth up to €53 million, more than 10 times what Lyon signed him for less than two years previously. In 2018, he made his international debut for France. At one point, for Mendy to have kicked a ball again would have seemed miraculous. That he is now one of the world’s leading defenders is a testament to his extraordinary talent and determination.