Nuno Mendes has always been talented, but also long hampered by injuries. For over a year now, the 23-year-old left-back for Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal seems to have gained even more power, but above all, consistency and resilience. This stems, in particular, from a turning point following a long injury in 2023. Antonio Gaspar, the Portuguese national team’s physiotherapist with whom he works regularly, explains this in L’Equipe.
“He has become a fantastic professional.”
“After his right thigh surgery in September 2023 (four months without training), he came to Lisbon to do his rehabilitation with us until he resumed running,” explains the Portuguese coach. “I came to Paris every month until Euro 2024 to work on his injury prevention. We still see each other regularly when he’s with the national team, and I come to Paris every two or three months, always for a week.
We do specific work on his muscles and joints to keep his body in shape. We do a lot of preventative work, but not just on his thigh: on his whole body. Since the surgery, he’s more balanced, and it’s possible to do more intensive training with him than before. He’s also changed mentally. He’s much more focused on his work; he’s become a fantastic professional. This injury helped him. I think he’s in the best physical shape of his career.”
It’s always interesting to see how a player can be transformed by a difficult period. This doesn’t mean Nuno Mendes wasn’t professional before or that he was reckless. But there’s a hurdle to overcome to establish oneself at the highest level over the long term, especially when there’s already a tendency towards injuries. This is what happens to players as explosive as Nuno Mendes.
He understood, through a series of physical setbacks and especially with this necessary surgery, that he had to do even more to achieve the career he envisioned. Today, the Portuguese player seems to be on the right track. He’s establishing himself among the best, playing regularly, and accumulating titles. We can only wish him continued success, for as long as possible at PSG of course, while accepting that there can be an element of luck/bad luck involved in injuries. But there is definitely work to be done to minimize that risk.
