Real Madrid left-back Ferland Mendy, who is 30 years old this year, played a key role in the team's two Champions League wins in 2022 and 2024. He was praised by former coach Ancelotti as "the best defensive left-back in the world."

However, since Mendy joined from Lyon for 48 million euros plus 5 million in floating fees in 2019, he has been sidelined for 629 days due to a series of muscle injuries. Recently, he has not participated in a game for more than 6 months. The Athletic talked with many people who know the player's situation and talked about the current difficulties Mendy is facing and his views on his future.

Real Madrid had high hopes for Mendy after bidding farewell to Marcelo, but in the following 2022-23 season, injury problems began to plague the team. Mendy missed the second half of the season due to two consecutive muscle injuries, forcing Ancelotti to use midfielder Camavinga as a left-back in key games. Mendy has suffered multiple muscle injuries before. In September 2024, Real Madrid became more worried about Mendy when club sources revealed that the player may also suffer from chronic stress problems in the tibia.

Sources close to Mendy denied this statement and pointed out that Ancelotti brought the player back too early, which resulted in Mendy not fully recovering. Ancelotti said that this was because they fully trusted Mendy and believed that they had no other choice but to let him play. In the 2023-24 season, Mendy's injury risks seemed to be completely eliminated, and Real Madrid won the La Liga and Champions League double crown. It was also around the same time that Real Madrid began to consider signing Bayern left-back Alphonso Davies free of charge in 2025. However, according to insiders in the coaching staff, Ancelotti preferred that the club renew Mendy's contract because the latter's contract expires in the summer of 2025.

Ancelotti’s coaching staff cannot explain the reason for Mendy’s recovery, but they believe that players’ status is cyclical: they perform well in one season and may decline in the next season. Other sources suggested that the impending expiration of his contract may have contributed to his improved performance. However, everyone asked at the time was pleased with Mendy's defensive abilities, noting that no top striker could break through his defense.

Mendy's team has also explored other options, such as returning to France to join Paris or moving to the Premier League, but the first choice is to stay at Real Madrid. Finally, he completed the contract extension in the summer of 2024. Many media reported that Mendy's contract with Real Madrid was extended until 2027, but sources from the player team insisted that the contract was actually extended until 2028. Whether to make an announcement depends on the club, and the relationship between the two parties is very harmonious.

According to people familiar with Mendy, he is an extremely introverted person and has difficulty speaking in interviews or in public. During his time at Real Madrid, Mendy never participated in a pre-match press conference or mixed zone interview. Coupled with his long-term injury, the fan seemed very mysterious. Despite this, he is a favorite in the Real Madrid dressing room. "This guy always has a smile on his face," even when injured, one current member of the coaching staff said. Fran Garcia, who is in the same position, is also one of his closest teammates and has a good relationship with the "French Gang" in the team.

Last season, Mendy only played 14 times in La Liga due to injury. Surprisingly, Ancelotti included him in the starting lineup in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona. However, due to thigh problems, Mendy was replaced by Fran Garcia in the 11th minute. Real Madrid eventually lost 2-3 in overtime. However, a Real Madrid insider familiar with Ancelotti emphasized that the head coach has full confidence in Mendy. After all, he has never lost in an important final in which this player has played, but he did not expect to be replaced so early.

A source familiar with Mendy's recovery process said that the player's recent injury was "bad luck" and not due to what he called chronic stress problems in the tibia. It's normal to need a six-month recovery period after April's surgery, and to gain muscle mass before returning. Another staff member revealed that Mendy has been very careful about this rehabilitation in the past few months, and the player very much hopes to avoid another injury.

According to sources close to Alonso, Mendy's recovery will determine his position in the team after his return. In principle, he will be the third left back after A Fee and Fran Garcia. Mendy's team remains calm about this. They believe that the players are now recovering according to the rehabilitation plan, and the club has not yet communicated with them about the future. They believe that Mendy can still maintain a high level of competitive status after returning to the court, but the future is still full of uncertainty.