Senegal: what Nobel Mendy can bring

According to several reports published this Tuesday, March 10, 2026, Nobel Mendy should be part of Pape Thiaw’s list for the month of March and the friendly matches against Peru and Gambia. A heavy reinforcement for the Lair.

Novelty alert. La Tanière is preparing to welcome a new Lion in the person of Nobel Mendy. The 21-year-old defender, who plays for Rayo Vallecano, is, according to certain indiscretions, on Pape Thiaw’s list for the month of March. He should fill a squad that is already extensive, of course, but with characteristics that will be extremely useful to the Senegalese selection. He has also submitted his candidacy for the 2026 World Cup. “The World Cup is a childhood dream. I spoke about it with Pathé Ciss, who already has experience of this competition, and he only told me good things about it. Honestly, it’s a dream and a clear goal in my head. »

Perfect double for Niakhaté?

Nobel Mendy has already put Spain in his pocket. Arriving in the summer of 2025 at Rayo Vallecano on loan from Real Betis, the left-hander wasted no time in establishing himself. This season, he played 17 La Liga matches, including 16 as a starter, scoring 2 goals (against Valencia and Atlético Madrid). Above all, the native of Guédiawaye strings together great performances. He notably muzzled world-class attackers like Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior and Julián Álvarez. At 1.87 m tall, Nobel is a modern defender, solid in duels but also very clean in the recovery thanks to his left foot and above-average technical skills for a defender. He combines these qualities with great aggressiveness, which sometimes pushes him to receive yellow cards or concede penalties. But he has the advantage of youth and can still improve.

Nobel Mendy’s qualities are aggressiveness, defensive toughness which allows him to win his duels brilliantly, with 51% of duels won on the ground and 49% of aerial duels won despite his 1.87 m. He is also good at restarting with 87% of successful passes during this 2025-2026 financial year. So many qualities that could bring a lot to the national team.

Yaya SOW