Former Nigeria goalkeeper Carl Ikeme has pledged his support for Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy to win the Best Fifa Men’s Goalkeeper award on Monday.
Mendy faces competition from PSG and Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma and Bayern Munich's German shot-stopper Manuel Neuer for the top goalkeeper recognition.
The 29-year-old earned his place in the top-three nomination after his impressive start to life at Stamford Bridge as he played a crucial role in helping Chelsea win the 2020-21 Uefa Champions League trophy with a record-breaking nine clean sheets in the competition.
Ahead of Monday’s event at The Home of Fifa in Zurich, Ikeme believes Mendy’s triumph award will tell the world about the quality of goalkeepers in Africa.
“Mendy's got a chance to win it, he helped Chelsea win something for him to get to the final three nomination,” the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers star told GOAL.
“I also watched Donnarumma play at the Euros in the summer and Neuer, so there is a lot of competition for the best goalkeeper in the world.
“I hope he just wins it because it is good for African football, and for African goalkeepers as well to show that there is a lot of quality goalkeepers in Africa.”
Mendy is in Cameroon at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and he is likely to play his first game against Malawi on Tuesday after recovering from coronavirus.