Mendy: Playing for Real Madrid has been a dream for me since childhood

The French wing-back Ferland Mendy was the special guest in the latest episode of Realmadrid TV's Campo de Estrellas show.

During the interview, the French wing-back reflected on how he started out in the game.

Childhood Dream

"In my neighbourhood, there was a pitch behind my house, just behind my block of flats. It was a gravel pitch, with goals without nets and that's where I first started to play with the other kids from my neighbourhood. 

"Whenever I got the ball, I loved to driblle and I made a noise when I got past a player. I played up front, then as on the left wing and since then I've been a left wing-back".

"My dream as a child was to play for Real Madrid and I've ultimately managed to achieve that. It was a real source of satisfaction for me. It's a dream come true to play for the best team in the world. Opportunities like this don't come along often in life and when they do present themselves, you've got to take them. 

"I was really nervous on the day of my unveiling after seeing so many people in front of me. It was the first time that had happened to me. When I set foot on the Bernabeu pitch, I was impressed". 

Giving his all

"The day I made my Real Madrid debut was a special one. I wanted to make a good impression and perform well... I knew that it'd be a tough game against Bayern Munich. 

"But it's a pleasure to pull on the Real Madrid shirt and I intend on giving my all every time I do so".

Injury

"I was 14, almost 15, and it was an injury to my left hip. When you're told at that age that that's that for you as far as football is concerned and that you'll never play again... I thought that my dream would never come true. I spent two months in hospital with both legs in plaster. 

"That's when I realised that I'd have to learn to walk again. I started and spent around four or five months in rehab. It took me a month to learn to walk, although I really pushed myself, because it still hurt me for a year or two after".

"Towards the end of rehab, I started to walk on crutches and I then learned to walk in a straight line. I kicked a ball a year after that. I'll never forgot those things and they've made me mentally stronger".

Personality

"When I was a kid, I loved to joke around. When it comes to telling jokes now, I've got the language barrier, but at Lyon and Le Havre I was a real joker. I love to play jokes on people and have a laugh, that's just who I am. That's my personality: I play jokes on everyone and my laugh is contagious".

"I feel as if the people in my town keep a close eye on my progress. I sometimes go back there to visit because my close friends still live there. I haven't forgotten my roots. I've worked my way up from the very bottom and with my development and hard work, and if everything goes well because in football you can never be sure, but I've set myself the target of being the best I can be".

Self-criticism

"When I make a mistake, I know exactly what it was. I talk to my sisters at the end of the game and I know that during that spell of the match I didn't do well. For example, I lost the ball four times in the first half and twice in the second. 

"I'm self-critical. I know when I've done well and when I haven't".