At 23, Nuno Mendes, the Paris Saint-Germain full-back, is now seen as much more than just a winger. Through the shared insights of his former U11 coach, Joao Plantier, in an interview with L’Équipe, a profound evolution emerges, marked by tactical maturity and a significant change in his game.
Plantier: “Where he’s really progressed is in his understanding of the game.”
“I don’t know how he can perform against deep-lying defenses because he’s at his best when he has space. If he can play in any position now, it’s partly thanks to Roberto Martinez (with Portugal, editor’s note), who sometimes used him as a center-back, but mainly thanks to Luis Enrique. Where he’s really progressed is in his understanding of the game. Tactically, he’s not the same player since he joined PSG.”
Joao Plantier’s account is powerful because it doesn’t attempt to paint a perfect portrait. He first subtly reminds us that Nuno Mendes remains a particularly formidable player when the game opens up and space appears. But the essential point lies elsewhere: what his former coach describes is the development of a much more complete player than before.
At Paris Saint-Germain, and continuing the experience he also had with Roberto Martinez, the Portuguese player is no longer just an impactful full-back, capable of causing havoc with his speed or forward runs. He has become a player who better understands the game, the players’ positions, and their roles.
In short, his raw talent has been enriched by a genuine game intelligence. This perspective from his youth academy also reveals something valuable about Luis Enrique’s PSG: in Paris, Nuno Mendes hasn’t just grown physically or technically; he has learned to read the game with much greater accuracy.
