Nuno Mendes

Early career

Born in Sintra, Lisbon District of Cape Verdean descent, Mendes started playing football aged 9, and his idols growing up were Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, David Alaba and Marcelo, the two last players being the ones he tried to emulate. He was invited to play for local club Despertar by his school teacher Bruno Botelho on the outskirts of Lisbon. He quickly stood out, subsequently catching the eye of Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP and joining the latter's youth system at the age of 10. During his scouting process, as he returned home from school, Mendes realised he was being followed by a man. For fear of being robbed, he ran home, located in a very poor neighbourhood; the "stalker" was actually a Sporting scout, who later convinced him to sign. He spent the next four years making a two-hour round trip in order to train every night with his teacher, before moving to Sporting's academy at the age of 14. Mendes initially played as an attacking midfielder before being converted to a left-back, a position he struggled with in the beginning.

Sporting CP

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in February, which brought a premature end to the youth football season, Mendes was one of a small group of youth players to be called up to the first team by manager Ruben Amorim, despite having only played once since November due to an injury. He made his professional debut in a 1–0 Primeira Liga home win against Paços de Ferreira on 12 June…

Mendes earned his first cap for Portugal at under-21 level shortly after having made his club debut, in a 4–0 win in Cyprus for the 2021 UEFA European Championship qualifiers on 4 September 2020. Previously, he represented the nation's under-16, under-17, under-18 and under-19s. Six months later, Mendes was called up to the senior team by manager Fernando Santos for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Azerbaijan, Luxembourg and Serbia, and subsequently removed from the under-21 squad due to appear in the finals. He first appeared with the former on 24 March 2021, playing the entire 1–0 victory against Azerbaijan. Mendes was selected for UEFA Euro 2020, playing no games in a round-of-16 exit. Santos later revealed that he had planned to use him alongside Raphaël Guerreiro during the tournament, but could not do so due to injury problems. In November 2022, Mendes was named in the final squad for the World Cup in Qatar. After a first-half thigh injury in the second group-stage match against Uruguay, he missed the rest of the competition. During qualifying for Euro 2024, Mendes made one appearance against Luxembourg, assisting Cristiano Ronaldo's opening goal of the 6–0 win in the ninth minute; he missed the remainder of the campaign with a hamstring injury, as Portugal won all ten matches in Group J. He was picked for the finals in Germany, starting against the Czech Republic and Turkey in the group phase and Slovenia (3–0 victory in a penalty shootout) and France in…

Mendes is known for his offensive capabilities, speed and technical qualities, playing mainly as a left-sided attacking full-back or wing-back, which allows him to create danger either from a standing start or whilst on the counter-attack. Apart from his dribbling, he boasts an excellent crossing ability whether tightly marked or open in space, and his physical prowess allows him to beat out opponents to the ball either with his speed or strength. He is also capable of anticipating attacks and cutting in front of a pass and winning the ball back. Despite his ability going forward, however, the defensive side of Mendes's game was brought into question by pundits early into his career, with the latter citing the inconsistency on his decision-making in front of goal, positioning and awareness as areas of weakness in need of improvement. Over the following years, however, under Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain, he became more tactically disciplined, displaying better judgment on when to push forward and when to hold his line. His one-on-one defending matured, committing fewer rash challenges while displaying greater awareness of space and opponents' movement. These developments were particularly evident in high-stakes matches, where his defensive performances against players such as Mohamed Salah and Yamal drew praise from pundits and coaches alike, marking his improvement into a more complete and balanced full-back.

Club

As of match played 16 August 2026

International

As of match played 6 July 2026

As of match played 23 June 2026 Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mendes goal.