Nuno Mendes, 22-year-old full-back for Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal, was the guest of Alexandre Ruiz on Free Ligue 1. He talked about his early career, his arrival at Sporting Lisbon and his move to PSG.
Nuno Mendes “He was a teacher at my school, he saw me play at school”.
You were number 10 and the story goes that it was you who asked for the number 10, is that true?
It’s true, it’s true.
Tell us about it.
They’re good memories, it’s a club that knew me well. Here (in a photo) is a teacher who used to go to my school, and he saw me play at school. He took me to the club and I signed.
At Despertar?
Yes, that’s right.
Your coach said you were shy, and you asked him for just one thing – the number 10 – why?
I don’t know, because I see all the good players with number 10. And I said, “I want number 10”. And at the time, I wasn’t playing left-back, so I just asked for the number 10.
Which player were you impressed by at the time?
There are a lot of players, Messi, all the players who were wearing the number 10 at the time.
How do you feel when you see your first license here?
It’s a beautiful memory. It was my debut.
Nuno Mendes “I was in the street with my friends and it was that teacher you showed me that brought me to the club”.
Did you always want to be a footballer?
Yes, always. But I didn’t look for a club. I was out on the streets with my friends, and it was that teacher you showed me that brought me to the club. He was my physical education teacher, and he brought me back to the club. I went every day after school. He’d take me to training in his car and then drop me off.
Was his name Bruno?
His name was Bruno.
Does he drive you 2 hours every day?
Yes, but not every day, it was 3 days a week.
Did you wear that blue jersey?
Yes, but I didn’t have any shoes, look. Someone lent them to me.
Whose shoes are they?
They’re mine, they gave them to me, but it was another teammate’s mother, the captain’s mother, who gave them to me. I just needed shoes to play in the street. I didn’t have any.
So your captain’s mom gave you his shoes as a gift?
Yes, that’s right, his name is Fabio.
Is he still a friend?
No.
Nuno Mendes “I try to take a little time to go there”.
What’s your relationship with the club?
I try to take some time to go there. To see how they are now, (he looks at the picture) but before, there was no synthetic, there was I don’t know how to say it, dirt.
Do you play a season there?
One month, one month.
One month and Sporting Lisbon comes looking for you?
Yes.
Nuno Mendes “I opened the door, but behind it I had a knife”.
How did Sporting come to look for you?
It was a tournament. The guy who brought me to Sporting saw me. He said he wanted to talk to me, but I didn’t know who he was. He said: “I’m from Sporting, I’ve come to see you, I like the way you play”. I didn’t see him again after the match.
And that was a day I’ve told many times. One day, when I was at school, I went outside. He followed me home and knocked on the door. I didn’t know who he was. I opened the door, but behind it was a knife. Afterwards, he said to me: “Don’t worry, I’m the Sporting Scout”.
Who is this man?
His name is Aderita. At Sporting, he used to help players who didn’t have much. He’d give them cards to buy food in the stores.
Was he some kind of benefactor?
Yes, he was.
Nuno Mendes “Almost everything, because Sporting gave me everything”.
He supervised a number of disadvantaged youngsters?
Yes, that’s right. For example, my colleague’s name was Benjamin. He gave us this. We were very happy.
Do you realize all that today?
Yes, I realize all that. He passed away today, but he knows that I liked him and he helped me a lot.
What does Sporting mean to you?
Almost everything, because Sporting gave me everything. They’ve done everything for me, even off the pitch. They helped me a lot. There was a man who, when I was at Sporting, took me home every day.
I’d take the bus to training and after training he’d take me home. Because then it was too late. We’d train at 6 p.m. and then he’d take me home. It was around 9 p.m. and it was too late to take the bus.
I was too small, so he always took me home. Today, I talk to him from time to time, and his name is Senhor Vicente. That’s what we used to call him. He used to take me and several colleagues home.
Do you have a lucky star hanging over your head?
Yes, that’s the most important thing for me. These are things I remember every day. When I’m on the pitch, when I win something important. I remember all the people who helped me. I’m very happy and I think they’re very happy for me too.
Nuno Mendes “I didn’t hesitate. I signed. There were 2 minutes left before the mercato closed”.
How did your signing with PSG go?
I was in the selection. At the last minute, they said and I’d spoken to my agent, and I’d told him I wanted to play for Paris Saint-Germain one day.
Did you really?
Yes, and so he told me at the last minute that PSG were interested in me. So I didn’t hesitate. I signed. There were 2 minutes left before the mercato closed. We did it. And here I am today.
Est-ce que tu te rappelles de l’émotion que tu as eu quand tu as signé ce contrat ?
Ce n’était pas bien parce que j’étais concentré sur la sélection. Je pense que c’était mon premier appel avec le Portugal. Mais après quand je suis sorti, je suis parti dans un truc différent, un pays différent. Je pense que j’ai bien réussi.
Nuno Mendes “It’s a great club, we all know that”.
Why did you want to sign for PSG, what did it mean to you?
It meant a lot. A lot of the players I’ve seen have come through here. A lot of great players and I wanted to be part of that history, part of that club. It’s a great club, we all know that. Now I’m here, I’ve got to keep going.
It’s not an easy job at PSG, but do you feel part of the Paris Saint-Germain story?
Yes, you could say that, little by little. Not 100% yet, but little by little, I’m trying to write my name in this club and I think I’m on the right path. I’ve got team-mates who are great players, players who help me every day. I think I need to keep going to make my mark on this club.
If you saw yourself again in 10 years, little boy, what would you say to him?
Maybe I’d tell him that he’s chosen the right path. That he’s in a good place and that he should keep going because this is just the beginning. He’s still got a long way to go in soccer.
Would you buy him a pair of shoes?
Yes, 1 2 3. Whatever it takes (laughs).
