Ferland Mendy on Marcelo: 'I Will Be His Successor' at Real Madrid

Real Madrid left-back Ferland Mendy believes he is capable of eventually being a "successor" to club legend Marcelo. 

Mendy arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer as part of a significant recruitment drive, with the likes of Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic and Rodrygo Goes also making the move to Madrid.

The France defender was expected to provide competition to Marcelo, who struggled for his best form during the 2018-18 campaign for Madrid. Previously, Marcelo was rated as one of the standout full-backs in the game, having helped the La Liga side dominate European football.

Speaking to Real Madrid TV (h/t AS), Mendy said he's backing himself to be the eventual replacement for the veteran.

"I will be his successor," he said. "He has a lot of time left, but if they've brought me here, it's because they see potential."

Los Blancos paid a reported £47 million to secure the services of Mendy from Lyon, as he developed into one of the best full-backs in Ligue 1 last term. 

Per WhoScored.com, in France he was a consistent threat with the ball at his feet:

Although he has only started four games so far this season in La Liga and one match in the UEFA Champions League, Mendy has been able to showcase some of the talent that prompted Madrid to pay big money for him:

In completing his move to Madrid, the 24-year-old said he's fulfilling a lifetime ambition too.

"My dream as a child was to play for Real Madrid and I've ultimately managed to achieve that," he continued. "It was a real source of satisfaction for me. ... Opportunities like this don't come along often in life and when they do present themselves, you've got to take them."

Manager Zinedine Zidane has given Marcelo five starts in La Liga, suggesting the starting spot is up for grabs as things stand. 

At 31, the Brazilian should still be in the peak years of his career, although there were some small signs of him slowing down in the previous term. 

Despite his issues last season, Marcelo was still named in the 2019 FIFA Team of the Year, indicating the esteem with which he is held in by his colleagues:

With that in mind, as well as his experience, winning mentality and affinity with Real Madrid, Marcelo will not be an easy man to dislodge this season. After all, in the matches they've played this season, there have been signs of improvement from the left-back, too.

For Mendy, the competition is healthy and it appears both players will get their opportunities throughout the season. In Marcelo, the France star has an exemplary role model at Madrid and while replacing the legendary defender might be an impossible task, Mendy has showed promising signs so far.