Nuno Mendes
Left-Back · Paris Saint-Germain · Portugal
About Nuno Mendes
Nuno Mendes is a two-time Champions League winner and Portugal's first-choice left-back, a Sintra-born product of Sporting CP's academy who has become the defining full-back of Luis Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain.
Nuno Mendes's story
A Boy from Sintra
Born on 19 June 2002 in Sintra, outside Lisbon, Mendes grew up in a poor neighbourhood and started playing at nine. His idols were Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but the full-backs he tried to copy were Marcelo and David Alaba. Friends call him Kandimba, a nickname taken from a character in a Portuguese TV soap opera, Goal reported in January 2021.
The Man Behind Him on the Way Home
A school teacher, Bruno Botelho, got him into the small Lisbon club Despertar in 2011. Benfica, Porto and Sporting all circled, and one evening he spotted a man following him home. He feared a robber and hid behind the living-room door. It was a Sporting scout. For four years he made a two-hour round trip each night to train, and moved into Sporting's academy at 14. Former Sporting youth coach Mauro de Almeida remembers a boy who was very introverted but did everything asked of him on the pitch.
From Midfielder to Left-Back
He started as an attacking midfielder and struggled at first when he was moved to left-back. Ruben Amorim gave him his senior debut on 12 June 2020, a 72nd-minute substitute appearance in a 1-0 win over Paços de Ferreira. His first goal came on 4 October 2020 at Portimonense, and Sporting won the league that season.
Paris, Surgery and a Longer Contract
He joined Paris Saint-Germain on loan on 31 August 2021 and the club signed him permanently for 38m euros on 31 May 2022. A hamstring injury from May 2023 needed surgery in Turku, Finland, in October 2023, and he did not return to action until 25 February 2024. Portuguese outlet Portugoal reported in October 2025 that he used the recovery to study the game from new angles. PSG extended his deal to 2029 on 9 February 2025, and under Luis Enrique he became a more disciplined defender, praised for his duels with Mohamed Salah and Lamine Yamal.
Portugal's Quiet Leader
He made his Portugal debut on 24 March 2021 against Azerbaijan, then missed most of the next two tournaments: he was an unused squad member at Euro 2020 and a thigh injury against Uruguay ended his 2022 World Cup. At Euro 2024 he started four games. At the 2025 Nations League finals he set up Ronaldo's winner against Germany, scored his first Portugal goal in the final against Spain, converted in the shoot-out and was named player of the tournament.
Treble, World XI and a Second Star
In 2024-25 PSG won a continental treble, finishing with a 5-0 Champions League final win over Inter Milan. Mendes was picked in both the FIFPRO and FIFA World XIs for 2025 and finished tenth in that year's Ballon d'Or. In 2025-26 PSG won the Champions League again, even though David Raya saved his penalty in the final shoot-out against Arsenal.
Did you know?
- 📛 His full name is Nuno Alexandre Tavares Mendes.
- 🔥 At 18 he became the youngest player to start a game for Sporting since Cristiano Ronaldo in September 2002.
- 👩 His mother, who works as a cleaner, cried at Alvalade when he signed his new Sporting contract in December 2020, Goal reported in January 2021.
- 🇨🇻 Mendes is of Cape Verdean descent, and grew up in Sintra, the town where he still returns to visit.
- 🧠 His pre-match routine is breathing exercises, visualisation and concentration drills, according to Portugoal in October 2025.
- ⚽ His first PSG goal came on 3 September 2022 at Nantes, and his first Champions League goal, a winner at Juventus, followed on 2 November 2022.
- 🎯 His first World Cup goal was a free kick in a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan on 23 June 2026, with many expecting Ronaldo to take it.
- 🤝 His first Portugal assist was Ronaldo's opener in a 6-0 win over Luxembourg in Euro 2024 qualifying.
- 👟 Adidas made him the face of the Portuguese version of its 'Backyard Legends' campaign, which launched in Portugal on 10 June 2026.
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