PROFILE | Nuno Mendes – PSG’s adopted Parisian | OneFootball

When Nuno Mendes first arrived in the French capital in 2021, it didn’t take too long to dispel any doubts about his prospective contribution to PSG’s attacking firepower. Since the start of 2025, though, his output in the final third has almost taken a backseat to the drastic improvements he has shown in his defending.

Having recovered from a hamstring injury which kept him out of a significant chunk of the previous campaign, Nuno Mendes’ game progressively improved once he was able to play under Luis Enrique. “Defensive one-on-ones were a bit difficult for me before, because I would only be thinking about attacking,” the 23-year-old explained to Ouest-France earlier this season. “He told me, you need to defend better, then I’ll give you the freedom to go forward.”

It’s precisely that newfound defensive reliability which has arguably made Mendes the most complete left-back in football, propelling him to a tenth-place finish in this year’s Ballon d’Or ranking. Given his achievements over the last twelve months, though, the Portuguese international would not have looked out of place even higher up in the ranking. It goes without saying that the 23-year-old’s command of his left flank was instrumental to his team’s success on all fronts. 

During the run to the Champions League title, Mendes silenced some of the continent’s finest right-wingers through an impressive sense of anticipation paired with tireless tracking back. Mohamed Salah and Phil Foden were both kept quiet by the Portuguese international, who did nevertheless struggle up against Bukayo Saka. Even the latter performance, though, remained a far cry from the torment Jadon Sancho put him through the previous season. 

His attacking contributions also became more focused and calculated, which translated to a higher goalscoring output. Of the six goals he scored last season, four came on the continental stage, including two in the quarter-final tie against Aston Villa. “I try to balance out the attacks, to get some rest when it’s needed,” Mendes explained to Ouest-France, before pointing out his manager’s emphasis on versatility. “It’s something he’s brought in that we’ll always carry with us, even if he leaves or if we leave.”

All-important for Portugal, too

This was also the year that Mendes consolidated his importance to the Portugal set-up, as he propelled his country to a Nations League final victory against Spain. In the very same stadium in which he won the Champions League just eight days prior, the Lisbon native would turn in his best individual performance of the campaign.

Having twice gone behind in Munich, Roberto Martínez will have largely had his left-back to thank for keeping his team alive in the match. Mendes would score the first equaliser himself, opening his account for the national team in his 37th appearance with a driving shot from the edge of the box. 

The full-back was involved again for his team’s second goal, this time playing the deflected cross which was eventually headed in by Cristiano Ronaldo, before converting his penalty in the shoot-out after extra-time. This attacking output would not come at the expense of his defensive contributions either, as an in-form Lamine Yamal was kept quiet throughout the match.

Unsurprisingly, Mendes described his exploits in Bavaria as “the most special week of my career”. For most other players, winning the Champions League and a national team trophy in the same spring would be the crowning moment of a career, one which would at least merit some kind of rest afterwards. Mendes, though, does not want to rest on his laurels: “Now I have to keep working, I’ve got a lot ahead of me”. The Club World Cup final will have been a step too far, however, with Chelsea overcoming Les Parisiens in the US.

The start of the new season has seen the full-back perform with the same aplomb, striking fear into defenders with every burst of pace and swinging cross. From a solo effort against Atalanta to a 25-metre free-kick goal against Lille (the first of his career), Mendes has continued to make his mark in the final third without neglecting his defensive responsibilities. 

However, the pressing machine that was PSG’s first-choice frontline last season has rarely available this autumn due to injury. As a result, the full-back has been left to face sharper attacking threats in matches, which pulled his previous defensive frailties back up to the surface.

Mendes going nowhere

In particular, the rematch against Lamine Yamal back in October did not go as smoothly for Mendes, highlighting a faltering consistency which the Club World Cup final had begun to hint at. While he did make up for the lost battles with an end-to-end run to assist Senny Mayulu’s equaliser, there is nevertheless a sense that the 23-year-old might have too much on his plate in some matches. 

The former Sporting Club man, whose contract runs until the end of the 2028/29 campaign, is, in any case, one of the key figures of the rejuvenated and all-conquering PSG team. Having already established a more than credible claim to being the best left-back of his generation, Mendes’ future could be even brighter once the seemingly little room he has left to improve has been filled. 

That future is unlikely to be anywhere other than Paris, though. While the club’s strong Portuguese-speaking contingent over the years does have form for readily embracing Paris, Mendes’ near-perfect French, as well as the strong bond he shares with his French teammates and the city’s culture(s) takes that attachment to another level. It would take an irresistible offer to pull the adopted Parisian away from the Parc des Princes.

But unlike last January, when there was talk of a move away from PSG, potentially to Manchester United, Mendes is settled. It has shown in his performances over the course of what has been a spectacular calendar year for the defender, both for club and for country.

GFFN | Raphael Jucobin