Defender, Jacob Mendy has become the first-ever Wrexham player to play for an African nation on the international side as he made his Gambia debut.
Jacob Mendy signed for Wrexham last summer and contributed to the side as promotion from the National League was secured.
Signed by Phil Parkinson after a good campaign with Boreham Wood, he made 32 appearances and scored four goals last season. This included a massive goal against Notts County, which all but secured the Reds’ title.
He has his first-ever EFL appearances in League Two this season. With a goal and five assists in just nine starts, he has taken to life like a duck to water.
This great start has seen him receive international recognition as he was called up to the Gambia national team for this international break.
What has been said about Jacob Mendy?
Prior to his debut for his nation, his manager had discussed the competition he faced to feature for Gambia.
Discussing that with BBC Sport Wales, Parkinson said: “The Gambian manager has been monitoring him, closely. There’s other players in his position and he’s got competition as you’d expect. But he’s done well to get in there.
“Obviously, he wants to have some minutes to show what he can do. I’d like to see him get some game time and not have a trip where he goes there and is just a squad player.”
With that being said, his manager and Wrexham fans were hopeful that their fullback would get a deserved cap.
In the first match of the break, Mendy was an unused substitute as his side lost 3-2 to Burundi as Gambia began their qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The Reds man did get his first start against Ivory Coast in yet another loss.
It was a great achievement on a personal level for the full-back who had been a labourer just a few years ago. In an interview with The Athletic, Mendy said: “The worst job was for a recycling company. I only lasted a couple of months and then got a job at Excel in London, as a cleaner. Then I made the change to construction after that. Long hours.”
It has been a long journey for the Gambian with many years spent in the lower leagues in England and Spain. Now in League Two and on the up, he is only getting better.
The achievement on a personal level was obviously great but he also became the first Wrexham player to represent an African nation.
A great achievement for Mendy, it shows the direction Wrexham are going in as their quality just gets better.