Formose Mendy (footballer, born 1989)

Formose Mendy (born 23 March 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Austrian club FC Mauerwerk.^[2]

Formose Mendy

Personal information
Date of birth	(1989-03-23) 23 March 1989 (age 36)
Place of birth	Guédiawaye, Senegal
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Mauerwerk
Number	7
Youth career
	Septème-les-Vallons
	Lyon
	Consolat
	Lens
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2009	Lens B	13	(1)
2008–2009	→ Istres (loan)	1	(0)
2009–2010	Puertollano	14	(0)
2010–2012	Sporting B	42	(4)
2012–2014	Sporting Gijón	35	(0)
2014–2015	Blackpool	3	(0)
2015	HJK	13	(2)
2016	Adana Demirspor	4	(0)
2016–2017	Alassiouty
2017	Raja	5	(0)
2018	Admira Landhaus	10	(1)
2018–	Mauerwerk	67	(7)
International career
2011	Guinea-Bissau[1]	1	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19:38, 6 March 2023 (UTC)

He played club football in France, Spain, England, Finland, Egypt and Austria, for Lens, Istres, Puertollano, Sporting de Gijón, Blackpool, HJK, Adana Demirspor, Alassiouty, Raja, Admira Landhaus and Mauerwerk.

Born in Senegal, Mendy represented Guinea-Bissau at international level.

Early and personal life

Mendy was born in Guédiawaye, Senegal to a father that had numerous wives and 25 children. He emigrated to Marseille, France, at the age of seven, to live with an aunt.^[3]

Club career

France

Mendy played youth football for Septème-les-Vallons, Lyon, Consolat and Lens,^[4] and started his senior career in France with Lens B and Istres.^[4] After finishing his loan deal with the latter club, being part of the squad that won promotion to Ligue 2,^[5] he was released by the former.^[6][4]

Spain

Mendy arrived in Spain in the summer of 2009, signing for Puertollano in Segunda División B.^[7][8] After just one season he joined another team in the same division, Sporting de Gijón's reserve side.^[9]

Following a change of management at the Asturias team in 2012, Mendy was promoted to the main squad.^[10] He made his La Liga debut on 25 February 2012 in a 1–1 away draw against Racing de Santander,^[11] and added a further nine appearances (often as a starter)^[12] as the campaign ended in relegation;^[13][14] additionally, he scored four goals for the B's,^{[15][16][17][18]} who finished in tenth position in the third level.^[19]

England and Finland

On 29 September 2014, Mendy signed a season-long deal with Blackpool in the Football League Championship.^[20] On 20 April of the following year he joined Finnish club HJK Helsinki,^[21] scoring his first goal for his new team on 14 May in a 1–0 home victory over IFK Mariehamn, after entering as a substitute.^[22]

Later years

On 1 January 2016, Mendy signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with Adana Demirspor in the Turkish TFF First League.^[23] He competed in Egyptian football in the following years, first with Alassiouty in the Second Division then Raja in the Premier League.^[24]

International career

As his grandfather hailed from the country,^[3] Mendy chose to represent Guinea-Bissau internationally, making his debut on 7 February 2011 against Gambia.^[10]