Nuno Mendes. 'It's just the beginning'

He started out at a small club in Sintra, but his talent was too obvious to go unnoticed and was quickly discovered. The magic of Nuno Mendes' feet, when they flirt with the ball on the pitch, never ceases to amaze and it is difficult to draw any limits (if there is one, it is still too early to say). In fact, some are already talking about a possible Ballon d'Or, after the brilliance he has shown in recent weeks, winning the French League, with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and now the Nations League, with the colours of the Portuguese national team, in addition to being nominated for the Champions League team of the year and also being voted the best player in the Nations League Final Four.

"This is the most special and best week of my career" , the star told reporters after his two victories, adding that the National Team's victory, as expected, "has a special meaning" . He concluded: "I have to thank my teammates a lot. I have to keep working, I have a lot ahead of me. This is just the beginning" . This was the 23rd individual award given by FIFA or UEFA, and it is the first time this century, and only the second in 43 years of individual awards in major competitions, that a defender has been named the best player (excluding goalkeepers), which is to say that we have here a potential chain-breaker in terms of the typical standards of players awarded in these circles. But his performance in the Nations League was only a surprise to the most distracted.

The beginning of everything: from Sintra to Alvalade

Coming from a family from Angola that emigrated to Portugal, Nuno Mendes was born on June 19, 2002, in Sintra, a city where his love for sport and football, in particular, would also end up being born, through the Despertar club, in Casal de Cambra, managed by coach Bruno Botelho.

At just nine years old, he already stood out from most of his peers, and it didn't take long for the 'lions' to notice him. The story is well-known, but it's always worth remembering: on a day like any other (or so it seemed), young Nuno was walking through the streets of Sintra, returning from school, when he realized that someone was following him, and he quickly ran home. Then, he grabbed a knife, expecting something bad to happen. A short time later, his 'stalker' knocked on the door: it was a scout from Sporting, who already had him in their sights, after having watched his performances on the pitches of Sintra.

For a whole year, the young star learned and developed at Sporting's training ground, with two-hour round trips to Sintra. But his sweat and dedication were not in vain. The Alvalade club's management ended up offering him a place in their dormitories. A few years later, in 2020 , Nuno Mendes, then 17, made his debut in Sporting's first team as a left back, coming on to replace the Argentine Marcos Acuña in the 72nd minute against Paços de Ferreira, in a match counting for the 26th round of the Liga NOS. The hurricane was now beginning.

After two years of giving every drop of his life for Sporting, Nuno Mendes' talent would finally mature in Paris. The player was already on loan from Sporting to PSG, but signed a contract until June 30, 2026 with the French football champions. According to Mais Futebol , the left-back renewed his contract until 2029, becoming the third highest-paid athlete in the squad, as well as the highest-paid among Portuguese players, with no termination clause. "You arrived as a boy, you leave as a champion" , wrote the Sporting club on social media at the time. Time has proven them right.

287 days, 44 games

off the pitch

The Portuguese star was performing incredibly well abroad. But the more our wings make us fly, the greater the fall, and sometimes unexpectedly. In 2023, Nuno Mendes suffered a serious injury to the hamstrings in his right leg during a game against Lorient, in which the Parisian team lost 3-1. The Portuguese player had to go through a very demanding period of treatment and rehabilitation, spending a total of 287 days off the pitch, missing 44 games. It was a difficult time, especially because everything seemed to be going well, and the player was asserting himself at full speed, in turbo mode. Would he return to his original form or would the injury leave consequences?

In 2022, during the World Cup, he had already caused a scare when he suffered a muscle injury in his left thigh during the match between Portugal and Uruguay. Now, he just had to wait for time. Nuno Mendes returned to action last year.

Golden ball lurking

With all the euphoria surrounding Nuno Mendes, the player is on everyone's lips, being a possible candidate for the Ballon d'Or, an achievement that seems unlikely, but not impossible. The hurricane is not slowing down: he is considered by many, at the end of the season, to be the best left-back in the world. And the fact that he completely nullified the fearsome Lamine Yamal in the Nations League final match against Spain only increased his prestige. But he himself kicked the award out of the window: " I don't focus too much on that. I play my football, there are players who are closer to achieving it" , he told journalists when he arrived in Portugal. However, he is targeting names like Yamal, Raphinha, Dembelé and, of course, our Vitinha.

Off the field

If his quality had not yet been noticed by everyone, the truth is that his performance has been increasingly in the sights of football fans and, of course, content creators on the internet. This is the case of Spanish influencer Roberto López, who never tires of praising the player's talent. «Nuno Mendes is not human... he is, without a doubt, the best left back in the world» .

And while he is a big name on the pitch, the truth is that off the pitch Nuno Mendes is very reserved, keeping his personal life out of the spotlight. The player is in a serious relationship with Brazilian model Thalyta Silva, but it was only this year, in May, that the relationship was made public. Thalyta celebrated PSG's victory in the Champions League with the player on the pitch.