Happy Birthday, Nuno Mendes!
Paris Saint-Germain left back Nuno Mendes is 23 today -- learn more about the Ligue 1 McDonald's champion in our latest profile.
In the footsteps of Ronaldo
Fresh off winning the treble with Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the UEFA Nations League with Portugal -- a competition in which he was named Man of the Match in the final -- Mendes is now impressing with the capital side in the Club World Cup. Born in a humble setting to Cape Verdean parents in Sintra, a poor district of Lisbon, Mendes has always been a precocious talent. He signed with Sporting Club de Portugal at the age of ten, following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, a childhood role model.
He soon became a regular for his country's youth sides, evincing his quality at every step of the way. In his first season with the first team, despite being just 17, he appeared a handful of times, but really made his quality speak in the following season, 2020/21. Despite the challenges faced by COVID-19, he impressed with regularity, helping his club to a league and league cup double, as well as being named to the Team of the Season.
Happy Birthday Nuno Mendes ❤️💙
23 today! 🎂 pic.twitter.com/0lJocZvQ24— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) June 19, 2025
A big leap to Ligue 1
With his precocity on full display, it wasn't long before suitors came calling, and Paris Saint-Germain took him on loan ahead of the next season, with an option to buy. Despite a massive price tag considering his experience, Mendes took the bull by the horns, his arrival having flown slightly under the radar in his joining in the same summer as the likes of Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos. Fending off the challenge of more experienced players like Layvin Kurzawa and Juan Bernat, he played 27 times as PSG won the league, with Mendes voted to the UNFP Team of the season.
It was more of the same in the following season, and the young Portuguese international looked to be on his way to superstardom, forming arguably the world's best fullback combination alongside Achraf Hakimi. the 2023/24 season was a bit of a different story, though, as injuries kept Mendes from appearing more than a handful of times, seeing him miss the chance to prove his talents to new manager Luis Enrique.
Putting this setback aside, this most recent season has been incontestably the most complete of his career, though. With more balance in his side's midfield, he and Hakimi have been given a longer leash to showcase their attacking talents, and in addition to the honors he's picked up for his club, he was also named to the Champions League Team of the Season. With the chance to win another title this summer in the United States, Mendes' star continues to burn brightly -- Happy Birthday Nuno!
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