Antonio Rudiger Names Chelsea Star Who Deserved Ballon d'Or Nomination

• Edouard Mendy was easily the man of the moment as Chelsea stunned Brentford to secure a 2-0 vital win
• The Senegalese produced stunning saves especially in the second half to help his side bag the three points
• His performances caught the eye of Antonio Rudiger who wondered why the shot-stopper was not nominated for the Ballon d'Or
• The Blues have five players on the 30-man shortlist for the prestigious award including N'Golo Kante and Jorginho

Antonio Rudiger has expressed disappointment at not seeing Edouard Mendy nominated for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award.

Rudiger demanded an explanation why the Senegalese was snubbed from the 30-man shortlist for the prize following his masterclass against Brentford.

Mendy staged a man of the match performance against the newly-promoted side on Saturday, October 15, with his crucial saves helping Chelsea secure a vital 1-0 win.

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In the absence of Rudiger and Thiago Silva, Thomas Tuchel had no choice but to parade a makeshift defence to take on the Bees.

The tie saw Malang Sarr handed his Premier League debut after his arrival in the summer, with the promising Trevor Chalobah also starting in the heart of defence.

The Blues had a pretty decent start to the clash as they managed to cope with Brentford's physical threat before they took a deserved lead before the break via Ben Chilwell's volley.

However, the second period of the match saw the home side staged a scintillating performance, with Chelsea being left to the mercies of Mendy who made stunning saves to keep his side in the game.

Reacting to the narrow win and Mendy's influential role in the clash, Rudiger wondered why the Senegal international was not afforded a place in the Ballon d'Or shortlist.

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"Someone explain why he’s not nominated for the Ballon d’Or," Rudiger wrote on Twitter.

"What a performance… EDOUARD MENDY," he added.

The Blues already boast five nominees for the Ballon d'Or including Jorginho, Romelu Lukaku, Mason Mount, N'Golo Kante and Cesar Azpilicueta.

Chelsea star backed to win Ballon d'Or ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Earlier Briefly News reported that former Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola has backed Jorginho to win this year's Ballon d'Or award ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Jorginho is a clear frontrunner for the award, thanks to his incredible success over the last year where he won the Champions League with Chelsea and the European Championship with Italy.

The Italian midfielder played a central role in the Blues' squad that beat rivals Man City to storm to European glory.

He was also among the standout players during the Euro 2020 as Italy triumphed in the continental showpiece.

Despite being among favourites for the Ballon d'Or, Daily Mail reports he will have to contend with competition from a number of players including teammate N'Golo Kante, Messi, and Robert Lewandowski.

Source: Briefly News