Ahead of the closing of the 2021 summer transfer window, Paris Saint-Germain signed Nuno Mendes from Sporting Portugal on loan. Born in June 2002, Nuno Mendes is only 19 years old now, but he is already Paris Saint-Germain's main choice at left-back and a regular for the Portuguese national team. In fact, almost no one has been surprised by what Nuno Mendes has achieved today, as he is considered one of the most talented young left-backs in European football since his debut in the Portuguese sports first team – he was named for last year's Golden Boy and also participated in the European Championship as a member of the Portuguese national team.
Nuno Mendes, whose parents are Angolan, grew up in Sintra, in the Lisbon region of Portugal. A famous tourist destination in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, castles, gardens, villas and Romantic-style buildings are a sight sintra prides itself on. Mendes is said to have experienced a funny story as a teenager: When he came home from school one day as usual, he noticed a stranger following him behind him. He returned home alert, then immediately went to the kitchen to hide, telling his parents that he had just experienced an "attempted robbery." At this moment, the doorbell in the living room rang - it turned out that the "robber" in Mendez's eyes was a professional scout. He's been watching Mendez play for a long time and now he's trying to bring Mendes into the real world of professional football.
Nuno Mendes' football path has been quite smooth. It must be admitted that Nuno Mendes is a talented player who is very skilled in attack and defense. Between Portugal's three most famous clubs, Sport of Portugal, Porto and Benfica, Mendes chose Sport of Portugal, which has produced superstars such as Eusebio, Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as famous players such as Sa Pinto, Simão, Quaresma, Patricio, Nani and Moutinho. In the early stages of his youth training, Nuno Mendes was an attacking midfielder who was later transformed into a winger, and from 2018 to 2021, Mendes jumped consecutively, from Portugal U16 to the Portuguese senior national team. This is a young man who feels very low-key on the pitch, but very strong, in the three-back system of Portuguese sports, Mendes mainly plays as a left-wing defender, and it is difficult to believe that a player under 20 can keep the vitality of the young and play so reasonably.
At the end of the 2019-20 season, Nuno Mendes, who was under the age of 18, was promoted to the first team by Portuguese sports coach Ruben Amorim and became the team's main force the following season. In March 2021, Nuno Mendes was called up to Portugal and made his national team debut at the World Preliminary Tournament against Azerbaijan.
Before joining Paris on loan, Nuno Mendes was already one of the world's most expensive under-19 players and one of the most marketable players in the Portuguese Premier League – he is considered likely to occupy an absolute main position in the Left-back position of the Portuguese national team in the next decade, and also expected to become one of the best left-backs in Europe – almost no one doubts that Paris Saint-Germain will try to buy him out after Mendes' loan period expires. In the recent Champions League knockout match between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, Mendes started and faced Asensio and Carvajal on the right side of Real Madrid, Mendes completed the task well, and his performance was unanimously praised.
Off the pitch, Nuno Mendes is a very introverted young man who doesn't engage in social activities like many young celebrities like. In contrast, he prefers to spend his leisure time alone, such as spending a quiet afternoon at home to recover. It's a way of life for Mendes, but at the same time Mendes is also seen as a very strong leader, and he always seems very calm and calm on the pitch. Mendes's family often gives advice on his private life, such as avoiding excessive media attention off the pitch, all in order to make Mendes look better on the pitch.
Who is Nuno-Mendes template? Defining Mendes as a pure defensive player is a waste of his talent, perhaps thanks to his early years of playing in an attacking midfield position, and some of Mendes's handling of the ball in the assists is reminiscent of Marcelo. However, in fact, Mendes can rely on excellent physical conditions to gain advantage in many battles between attack and defense, and good carrying and passing skills are also characteristics of Mendes, who can deliver the ball to the team's attacking hands and feet in a very reasonable way. At Paris Saint-Germain, played for 19-year-old Nuno Mendes, he was preceded by superb attackers such as Messi, Neymar and Mbappe, and after the Champions League match between Paris and Real Madrid, Portuguese football star Ricardo Carvalho specifically mentioned Nuno Mendes: "Football is like a natural friend of Nuno Mendes, who can control the ball very well and deliver passes to the forward players. ”
(Santiago-Wang)