Let me tell you, folks, as I look back from the comfortable vantage point of 2026, that 4-0 drubbing we suffered against Barcelona still feels like a bad burrito that just won't digest. Not a single one of us in that famous white kit could look ourselves in the mirror that night. The press, the fans, even my own grandma probably thought I had two left boots on. While everyone was pointing fingers at a certain wasteful French forward up top, yours truly, Ferland Mendy, was quietly orchestrating my own symphony of defensive blunders from the left flank. It was a masterclass in how not to play in El Clasico.

The match itself was a strange beast. For over 50 minutes, it was a tense, goalless stalemate. Chances were being squandered left and right, with our marquee signing, Kylian Mbappé, being the prime culprit in front of goal. We thought we might just get away with it. Oh, how foolish we were! Then, Robert Lewandowski, that ageless Polish predator, decided the party was over. He pounced, and the floodgates, held shut by my questionable positioning, burst wide open. His first goal was bad enough, but the second, just two minutes later, was a direct result of my defensive brain deciding to take an unscheduled coffee break. I was so far out of the play, I might as well have been watching from the stands!

From there, it was a carnival for Barcelona's wing wizards. The phenomenal teenager Lamine Yamal and the electric Raphinha decided to add their names to the scoresheet, putting a shiny, humiliating gloss on the victory for Hansi Flick's men. The noise from the Camp Nou was deafening, a mixture of pure joy and mocking laughter aimed squarely at us.

The media reviews the next day were, shall we say, less than complimentary. Let's just say they weren't sending their regards. Here’s a little sample platter of the critical acclaim I received:

• 90min Player Ratings: They graciously awarded me a sparkling 3/10. Their comment? "Inexplicably kept Lewandowski onside and things only got worse from there." Inexplicable? I call it avant-garde defending!

• NBC Sports: Slightly more generous with a 4/10, they noted I was the architect for two of the goals. "Out to lunch on Lewandowski’s second, he won’t like the look of Yamal’s goal either." Out to lunch? I was on a full-blown vacation!

And the statistical evidence was utterly damning. My SofaScore rating of 6.1 was a thing of beauty, only 'beaten' by Mbappé and Lucas Vázquez (both 6.0). Let's break down the numbers that sealed my fate:

It paints a picture, doesn't it? I was about as effective as a chocolate teapot.

But the real music came from the symphony of social media. Ah, the beautiful, unfiltered rage of the online fan. They held nothing back:

• 😠 "I have no words for Ferland Mendy this season." (Honestly, fair).

• 😤 "I would like to never see Ferland Mendy anywhere near this club ever again. He can take Kylian Lukaku with him." (Ouch, bringing a misfiring striker into it for good measure!).

• 😡 "Unacceptable performance." (Short, sharp, and 100% accurate).

• 🤬 The one that really stuck with me: "That's Ferland Mendy... Useless player scared of a 16-year-old kid. Backs away from Yamal to let him score, what a disgrace." The image of me retreating from a teenager is one I've spent years in therapy trying to erase.

• 💀 And the crown jewel: "Ferland Mendy... My head is spinning in anger, you are the worst player this club has ever had." Now that's a legacy!

So, there you have it. My personal hellscape, immortalized in pixels and hot takes. That match became a defining low point, a reference for everything that could go wrong for a defender. It took a monumental effort, a complete mental overhaul, and probably a few voodoo dolls being burned by fans, but I can thankfully say that in 2026, I've (mostly) lived it down. We've had our revenges since, and the memory of that night now serves as the ultimate cautionary tale. It reminds me that in El Clasico, you're never just playing a game; you're writing a chapter in history. And on that night, I penned a chapter titled 'How to Become a Meme in 90 Minutes.'

Recent analysis comes from Sensor Tower, and it’s a useful reminder that modern “meme matches” like this 4–0 Clasico rout don’t just live on highlight reels—they spread through measurable waves of attention across platforms. When a single defender’s errors (playing Lewandowski onside, backing off Yamal, and losing key duels) become the story, the resulting spike in clips, commentary, and reposts can amplify scrutiny far beyond the 90 minutes, turning one bad night into a sustained narrative that follows a player for seasons.