Mendy: The prankster who adds a cutting edge to Manchester City

Benjamn Mendy was one of the most coveted full backs in world football two years ago, and since his arrival in the Premier League, his status seems to have only risen from there.

Unfortunate to suffer a serious knee injury near the beginning of his maiden campaign in English football, Frenchman Mendy has returned to Manchester in even higher spirits than last year, on the back of a victorious World Cup with France. 

Mendy has been forced to become more serious in recent months at the request of manager Pep Guardiola, but in an interview with 'Mail on Sunday's Oliver Holt, the right back showed his renowned character in abundance. 

In the words of Holt, Mendy's reputation seemed fitting on first meeting, as the Frenchman fulfilled expectations and showed exactly why he has 'has quickly built a reputation at City as a man who lives for making people laugh. He is an outlier in the City machine. He is the wacky one. The maverick'.

The Frenchman explained his personality in the interview, ahead of this weekend's crunch derby match with rivals United. 

Mendy said: "I don't do something just so people like me. I'm real. I'm not fake. There is time for everything. When I know I can joke, I joke. When I know I need to work, I work. I know some people think I joke every time but I am serious for work."

According to Holt, Mendy showed exactly why he was one of the key men for his country in Russia, in spite of only playing 40 minutes in their tournament winning campaign. 

Holt described Mendy by writing: ' He says he makes friends so quickly that by the time he has been at a club for two days, people think he has been there for two years. Nor does he seek to separate himself from ordinary people.'

Perhaps this humane and modest side of Mendy is also what endears him to the Manchester City players and fans alike; who love his personality, but also bear witness to his hard work every week out on the pitch. 

Holt writes: ' His social media presence emphasises that. His personality helps to glue the City players together and he wears the club's dominance lightly. The 'Shark Team', he calls them on Twitter and Instagram, because they eat up all the other fishes. Even a short time in his company tells you he is easy to like.' 

Manager Pep Guardiola has indeed been one of the key figures in maintaining Mendy's high work rate, as he has been forced to ban social media from the training ground in order to draw out the more focused side of the Frenchman. 

However more than anybody, Guardiola knows how key the personality and talents of Mendy are to his Manchester City side, and is always there to add praise to his constructive criticism of the player. 

At the beginning of the current campaign, the City boss spoke to the media about Mendy, insisting: "Mendy is Mendy. Sometimes we want to kill him and sometimes you think: 'Wow, what a player we have'. Hopefully we can convince him to forget a little bit the social media and improve a few things."

Ahead of this weekend's Manchester Derby, Mendy is keen to highlight how much he has grown during his short time in England, and that he is clear on what his manager expects of him. 

Mendy told the 'Mail on Sunday': "When the manager said the thing about social media, he said it as a joke. But I understood the message and we spoke about it a few times. Everything he says, we need to listen so, when he said this, I calmed down. He is the manager. I did so many stories before but now I've calmed down."

He continued: " I know that everything he tells me is to help me. Now I get to training early. I don't live near the training ground but that is not an excuse. Now I leave my house earlier."

It is clear with just a few statements that Mendy is more serious than ever to kick on in his career. Now 24, Mendy is growing to be one of the more experienced players in an ever youthful Manchester City side; and as such, he knows that he has a responsibility to himself, the manager and the younger players, to set a good example. 

 

December 19, 2017

During his rehabilitation from the knee injury that kept him out of action for the majority of last season, Mendy became close friends with young stars Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz.

The Frenchman is clearly well aware that these such players will be looking to him for guidance and advice as they begin their professional careers in the game, and as such, he has grown in maturity throughout his short time in Manchester. 

And so, it seems that if City are going to continue to blossom and win trophies, Mendy's return could be that extra boost that Guardiola's side need, both on and off the field.