Away to Auxerre on Sunday, 18-year-old Antoine Mendy made his Ligue 1 Uber Eats debut.

Having regularly featured on the team sheet as a first-team player (after being brought into the matchday squad for the first time under Adrian Ursea in May 2021 for a game at home to Brest, he was also called up by Christophe Galtier and later by Lucien Favre), the academy youngster hadn’t yet made an appearance in a competitive fixture.

“He’s training with us regularly, and it’s possible that he’ll come into a game soon,” declared the Swiss coach in his press conference ahead of the game at the Stade Abbé-Deschamps – words that rang true when he asked the full-back to finish his warm-up and put on the no. 33 shirt.

After coming into the game between AJA and Le Gym in the 84th minute to replace Jordan Lotomba, the Marseille native enjoyed nine touches, taking plenty of care with all of them. Mendy, who put in a solid performance with two ball recoveries and one interception, even distinguished himself with one of his specialities: a long throw into the box that almost gifted Gaëtan Laborde with a great opportunity.

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Jean-Marc Ponte (OGC Nice) & IconSport