Mendy was raised in France, the son of immigrant parents from Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, and even during those formative years, he idolised goalkeeping greats such as Manuel Neuer and Gianluigi Buffon.
He joined the iconic Le Havre academy as a youngster, and it appeared as though he was already on track to fulfil his destiny and follow in the footsteps of his heroes.
However, things did not go to plan, and Mendy was forced to take a detour on his route to the top.
After struggling to break into the first team and falling behind Zacharie Boucher in the pecking order, Mendy was released—it was a devastating early setback for the youngster.