Édouard Mendy, the goalkeeper from Senegal, remembers the dramatic Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco, which took place at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat. During the match, Mendy was shown a yellow card after a 17-minute delay when he and most of his teammates left the pitch in protest over a referee’s decision to penalize El Hadji Malick Diouf following a corner from Morocco. Earlier in the match, Senegal had also had a goal disallowed, and Mendy had raised concerns with the referee about having his towel stolen and lasers being directed at him, but these complaints were not addressed. In the final moments of the game, Mendy successfully stopped a penalty from Brahim Díaz, which allowed Pape Gueye to score in extra time, securing Senegal’s second African championship in four years. However, the outcome of the match was later overturned in March when the Confederation of African Football ruled that Senegal had forfeited the final by leaving the pitch. This decision led to Morocco being awarded a 3-0 victory. A preliminary hearing for Senegal's appeal is set to take place at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland next month. Mendy insists the match was completed and that Senegal was given the trophy, which they celebrated in their country. Since then, Mendy has continued to achieve success, winning a second consecutive Asian Champions League with Al-Ahli and announcing his retirement from international football at the age of 34. Despite a phone call from Senegal's new manager, Patrick Vieira, Mendy decided to retire from international play. He expressed hope that the next generation of Senegalese players, including Lamine Camara and Ibrahim Mbaye, would follow in his footsteps. For Mendy, winning the Africa Cup of Nations was the best moment of his career, even surpassing his Champions League victory with Chelsea. Mendy was named best goalkeeper at Fifa's The Best awards in 2021 but missed out on the Yashin trophy, which went to Gianluigi Donnarumma. Both players have been nominated again for this year's award. Born in Normandy, Mendy began his career at Cherbourg and is now supporting a school in his parents’ hometown of Keur Massar and a program for aspiring entrepreneurs in Senegal.