Édouard Mendy reveals Patrick Vieira call did not change Senegal retirement decision

Former Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy says a personal call from new head coach Patrick Vieira was not enough to convince him to reverse his decision to retire from international football.

Mendy, 34, announced his retirement from the Senegal national team last week after winning 59 caps.

The former Chelsea goalkeeper had suffered World Cup heartache after sustaining a knee injury during Senegal’s group-stage match against Norway, bringing his tournament to an early end.

Vieira, appointed Senegal manager in August, subsequently contacted Mendy in an attempt to persuade him to reconsider his decision.

But Mendy says that, despite his admiration for the former Arsenal and France midfielder, he had already made up his mind to end his international career.

“He [Patrick Vieira] is a legend, so to have the chance to work with him was really something that came into my mind,” Mendy told The Guardian.

“But at the end of the call I asked for some time to really think about everything. A couple of days later I called him and explained that I wanted to stick to my decision.”

Mendy said his decision had been under consideration since Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign and that he ultimately felt the time was right to step away.

“I started thinking about it after the Afcon and I just came to the conclusion that it was my time to say stop,” he added.

Mendy played a key role in one of the most successful periods in Senegal’s recent football history.

He was part of the squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations and established himself as one of the country’s leading goalkeepers during his international career.

His decision means Vieira will have to look elsewhere as he begins to shape Senegal’s squad for the next stage of the national team’s development.

For Mendy, however, the opportunity to work with Vieira could not outweigh his desire to bring his international career to an end.

The goalkeeper’s retirement comes after a career in which he represented Senegal at major international tournaments and helped the Teranga Lions compete at the highest level of African and world football.