A product of the Le Havre academy, Mandanda spent most of his professional career with Marseille, making 614 appearances across all competitions in two spells at the club, and was voted Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year five times.

Mandanda was born on 28 March 1985 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Zaire), but he moved with his family to Évreux, France when he was two years old.

However a knee injury ruled Carrasso out for six months, leaving the way clear for Mandanda to become a regular fixture in Ligue 1, Champions League and UEFA Cup matches.

[8] On 1 July 2016, Premier League club Crystal Palace announced that they had completed the signing of Mandanda on a free transfer from Marseille.

He made his full international debut on 27 May 2008 in a 2–0 victory against Ecuador in a Euro 2008 warm-up friendly, coming on as a half-time substitute for Sébastien Frey, and was subsequently nominated as the third-choice goalkeeper in the French squad for the tournament in Austria and Switzerland.

However, was replaced in the summer of 2009, as Raymond Domenech chose Olympique Lyonnais goalkeeper Hugo Lloris over him for the international starting eleven.

[19] Mandanda was originally named in the squad also for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but sustained an injury before the tournament and was replaced by Stéphane Ruffier of AS Saint-Étienne.

[22] In November 2022, he was named in the French squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he started against Tunisia in the final group stage match.