Who is Ferland Mendy? The "Mbappe of the left backs" of 35 million euros linked to Barcelona

If a club has an expertise to appeal to in terms of left-back recruitment, that's fine Barcelona.

Technical secretary Eric Abidal, who has excelled in this career during his playing career, has won four Liga titles and twice won the Champions League with the Camp Nou team. as well as reaching the final of the 2006 World Cup with France.

Although research has undoubtedly led Barcelona to the four corners of the globe, Abidal has not had to look far for the man who has emerged as the first target of the Catalans for the summer. Indeed, he returned to his Lyon roots to make Ferland Mendy the successor of Jordi Alba for Blaugrana.

Professional since 2015, when he climbed the ladder in Le Havre – he was created in the same club as Paul Pogba, Lbadana Diarra and Riyad Mahrez -, this 23-year-old has become a key figure in Bruno Genesio's club. . stands ready to make the same gesture as Abidal at age 27, exchanging the Rhone giants against Spain.

Tuesday, when Lyon host Barcelona in the first leg of the last game of the Champions League, Barca fans will be entitled to what could be a first glimpse of a player in a hurry to be theirs, in August.

The rise of Mendy was astronomical. At 21, he had played only 12 league games, all second for Le Havre. Two and a half years later, he finds himself fully international to France and ready to play a leading role in the round of 16 of the biggest club competition in Europe.

"It's true that everything has happened very quickly since Le Havre, but I think it must go faster!", He said. France Football in January. "I have to continue with this dynamic."

Mendy spent time in the youth ranks of Paris Saint-Germain, but was released due to a form of arthritis at the hip, forcing him to miss a good chunk of his football at home. Aged 15 and losing his father at a young age.

"I did not have an easy course, that's true, but I never gave up," he added. "Now I'm here, that ardent desire to succeed is in my character, I've always been like that."

Although it is an individual insured, sometimes described as arrogant, Mendy is not someone who usually talks to the media. Instead, he expresses himself in the field, where he is an indefatigable piston on the left flank of Lyon.

Perhaps inevitably, given his name and his role, he is compared to Benjamin Mendy of Manchester City, who pierced Le Havre in both campaigns before his namesake arrived in Normandy.

It offers a similar will and comparable quality in the last third, although this aspect of his game is not as refined as that of his compatriot.

Its marginal deficit in terms of the final ball – and it is marginal – is outweighed by greater tactical awareness and greater solidarity at the other end of the field. And in some ways he's technically stronger, having a particularly capable right foot

"It's the Kylian Mbappe of the left-wing post," said agent Yvan Le Mee. France Football. "Contrary to popular belief, the position of the left-back is the most requested after that of an attacker because it is very difficult to find.

"Mendy is good offensively and defensively, which is very rare. Balanced guys, who are exciting in the future and very strong in the back, are very rare. At his age, there is no one better.

"Apart from Andy Robertson, who will not leave Liverpool, there is no such talented player in this role, especially as Lucas Hernandez has a different profile."

He has already proven that he is able to compete with the best. Lyon beat Pep Guardiola's side at Etihad Stadium in September and achieved a level of performance that made them arguably the best left-back in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

Tuesday promises reunion with his childhood friend Ousmane Dembele, who has already made the transition from Ligue 1 to Barcelona.

"My two brothers and my sister lived in Evreux [where Dembele is from], "he explained," I've often spent my holidays there and that's when we met. "We played together from time to time. I had 13 or 14 years.

The article continues below

Both are far from their day of play on the field of play: it will be the biggest match in Mendy's life and the challenge is to stop Lionel Messi. It is a task that he is ready to deal with with his usual relaxed approach.

"It's an electron, it can go anywhere, but I will not do anything special," he said, pondering the prospect. "It's always a pleasure to be around players like that, but Messi is still a human."

If Mendy can reduce his Argentinian status to a mere lethal status at Parc OL on Tuesday, he will surely have pbaded his last audition at Barca, just under the nose of Abidal, a man who knows what it takes to get to heart of Camp Nou. Fans.