Grégory Paisley, a former left-back who came up through the Paris Saint-Germain youth system and is now a pundit for beIN SPORTS, commentating on Serie A matches, was asked by Le Parisien to give his opinion on the rise of Nuno Mendes, the 23-year-old left-back for PSG and Portugal. He was particularly clear.
Paisley: “He’s the best player in the world.”
“If I were a coach and I could pick anyone on earth, I’d put Nuno Mendes in my top three signings. PSG never wins the Champions League without him or Hakimi, the two true playmakers. People might think I’m crazy, but I stand by it: he’s the best player in the world. Since it’s very difficult to compare a goalkeeper with a midfielder, I’d give eleven Ballon d’Or awards, one for each position. He easily wins it in his.”
The words are strong, but understandable. Nuno Mendes has established himself as a benchmark in his position for at least a year now. His Champions League run served as a test against some of the world’s best wingers (Mohamed Salah, Lamine Yamal, Bukayo Saka, etc.), and he rose to the occasion. His place at the highest level is no longer in doubt.
His attacking qualities were evident from a young age, along with impressive athleticism. He needed to refine his defensive positioning, his ability to manage duels, and certain attacking decisions, as well as improve his accuracy. Nuno Mendes has progressed in every area. While he can still improve, particularly in his defensive awareness, he is already among the very best.
He is a major asset for PSG, given his versatility. Players as complete as him are rare, as Paisley points out. There’s a similar player on the right with Achraf Hakimi (27 years old), although their profiles are different. We don’t know who the best in the world is, but Paris and Portugal undoubtedly have a special player. And he can still improve.
