Édouard Mendy was born on 1 March 1992 in Montivilliers, France, and came through the Le Havre academy before beginning his senior career with third-division Cherbourg in 2011. After being released in 2014, he spent roughly a year without a club, briefly registering for unemployment, before being recommended to Marseille as a fourth-choice goalkeeper in 2015. Spells at Reims and Rennes followed, where he steadily built his reputation — at Reims he kept 18 clean sheets as the club won the 2017–18 Ligue 2 title, and at Rennes he recorded nine clean sheets in 24 league matches to help the club finish third and qualify for the Champions League.
Chelsea signed Mendy in September 2020 for a reported £22 million. In his debut Premier League season he kept 16 clean sheets and equalled the record of nine clean sheets in a single Champions League campaign, adding another in the final as Chelsea defeated Manchester City 1–0 to win the title. He was named both UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year and The Best FIFA Goalkeeper for 2021, becoming the first African goalkeeper to receive both honours.
A commanding, aerially dominant goalkeeper who organises his defence and carries a strong long passing range, Mendy moved to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli in 2023, where he has gone on to captain the club and win the AFC Champions League Elite in back-to-back seasons.
For Senegal, Mendy made his senior debut in November 2018 and has earned over 44 caps. He was a key figure as Senegal won the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, saving a penalty in the shootout final against Egypt and being named the tournament's best goalkeeper.