Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was back in France this week as guest for the first ceremony of the Bruno Martini Trophies.

The Bruno Martini rewards the best goalkeeper in Ligue 1, Ligue 2 and women's D1. Mendy was invited by former Chelsea keeper coach Christophe Lollichon, who is among the chief organisers.

Mendy told Foot Mercato: "There are coaches who mattered to me (Christophe Lollichon) and then there are goalkeepers here that I have already faced or that I have seen evolve younger, like Steeve Elana, Ludovic Butelle, Grégory Malicki.

"These are goalkeepers who have marked French football. In this kind of event that did not exist at all in France, and very little existing in the world, as a goalkeeper, we want to participate.

"This ceremony marked under the profile of Bruno Martini is something very positive for the position and also for people to realise that we too are taking initiatives and doing things to put ourselves a little more in the light."

Of his own career progress, Mendy also said: "Nothing happens with the snap of a finger. All I got, all I get is through work, nothing else. I think it's also my education. I was brought up like that, in this mentality of not giving up, of being persistent to get what you want.

"I knew I had to work to be better. It's not just having a talent. It was precisely necessary to be a size and to stand out from the others. That, I understood very early. I didn't count my hours and even today, I don't count my hours. I think that at some point, that's what makes the difference."