Nuno Mendes and the Sporting education that forged Paris-SG’s left-back | OneFootball

Former team-mates and coaches have charted Nuno Mendes’s formative years at Sporting, with Paris-SG visiting Lisbon on Tuesday at 21:00. As reported by L'Équipe, they describe a shy youngster whose injury and resilience shaped an elite left-back.

Mendes joined Sporting at 10 and needed time to show his full range. A serious under-17 leg break at Loures became a turning point, prompting a physical overhaul that helped elevate him towards the game’s elite.

Gonçalo Batalha recalls a reserved boy with sharp pace and acceleration on the ball. He returned stronger, embraced relentless work and kept the humility that still defines him. Batalha says the signs of a huge talent soon became clear, adds that he is the best left-back in the world, and believes he could even become the best player in the world.

Under-11 coach Joao Plantier says Mendes was not among the standouts, small for his age but tireless, covering the entire left flank in seven-a-side. Gym work during recovery triggered his leap, and Sporting gave him time to grow. Plantier adds that at 17 few would have predicted such a rise, and that he deserves everything now.

Filipe Antunes, his under-17 coach, remembers a swift ascent, from a late-season arrival to the first team two years later. He praises Mendes’s mentality, treating every minute as an opportunity, and his versatility to defend, attack, act as a third defender or operate wide. Antunes notes an immediate offensive impact when he replaced the injured Gonçalo Inacio, and says Mendes was always likely to turn professional, though few foresaw the player he is today.

Source: L'Équipe