Pedro Mendes
Mendes in 2018
Personal information
Full name Pedro Miguel da Silva Mendes
Date of birth (1979-02-26) 26 February 1979 (age 44)
Place of birth Guimarães, Portugal
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2003 Vitória Guimarães 82 (7)
1998–1999 → Felgueiras (loan) 31 (2)
2003–2004 Porto 26 (0)
2004–2006 Tottenham Hotspur 30 (1)
2006–2008 Portsmouth 58 (5)
2008–2010 Rangers 39 (4)
2010–2011 Sporting CP 18 (0)
2011–2012 Vitória Guimarães 14 (0)
Total 298 (18)
International career
2002–2010 Portugal 11 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Pedro Miguel da Silva Mendes (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpeðɾu ˈmẽdɨʃ]; born 26 February 1979) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He works as a football agent.

Starting his career with home town club Vitória de Guimarães, Mendes won the UEFA Champions League with Porto in the 2003–04 season. He then moved to the Premier League, initially with Tottenham Hotspur in 2004, where he famously scored a 45-yard ghost goal against Manchester United that was wrongly not given by the officials despite goalkeeper Roy Carroll having fumbled his catch and clawed the ball back from at least a yard behind the goal line.[1] He then moved to his second English club, Portsmouth, before a stint at Scottish Premier League side Rangers.

Mendes was capped twelve times by the Portugal national team and was a member of their squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Early career

Mendes began his professional career with Felgueiras, on a one-year loan from Vitória de Guimarães. He returned to Guimarães and stayed for four seasons before moving on to Porto. At Porto, he won the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League, Primeira Liga and the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup under manager José Mourinho.

Tottenham Hotspur

On 8 July 2004, Mendes joined Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in a part-exchange deal which saw Hélder Postiga moving in the opposite direction. Tottenham received €7.5 million for Postiga while paying Porto €3 million for Mendes.[2][3] His debut was on 14 August in a league match at home to Liverpool. Mendes scored his first goal for the club on 1 January 2005 in a 5–2 league win over Everton.[4]

Mendes' second goal for Tottenham should have come in his next game three days later. However, he was the victim of a controversial and key decision against Manchester United at Old Trafford. His speculative shot from 55 yards out should have been a relatively easy catch for goalkeeper Roy Carroll, who was backtracking from the edge of his penalty area, but the United goalkeeper fumbled the ball over his own goal line. What would have been the game's only goal was not given, as referee Mark Clattenburg deemed the ball not to have crossed the line, despite TV replays showing the ball had clearly gone over the line.[5][6][7]

In his second season with Tottenham, Mendes was reduced to a peripheral role. He made only six appearances in the first half of the season, so it came as no surprise that in the January 2006 transfer window, then-Tottenham coach Martin Jol sought to offload him.

Portsmouth

Mendes playing for Portsmouth

Mendes joined Portsmouth on 12 January 2006 in a combined deal that included Sean Davis and Noé Pamarot for a fee of £7.5 million.[8] He became a pivotal player and goal scorer in the club's fight to avoid relegation. Mendes made his Portsmouth debut in a Premier League match against Everton on 14 January. His first and second goals earned him a place in Portsmouth folklore as they came in a crucial match against Manchester City on 11 March. Both goals were 25-yard shots, the first to give Portsmouth the lead on the hour mark and the second, in the 93rd minute, gave the club a 2–1 win.[9]

On 23 August 2006, during another match against Manchester City,[10] Ben Thatcher clattered into Mendes with his elbow, the force of which knocked Mendes head-first into a billboard. The injury was so severe Mendes was knocked out and required oxygen at pitchside. He suffered a seizure while being transferred to hospital, where he spent the night. He was discharged from hospital the next day, but remained under medical supervision.[11] Thatcher only received a yellow card for the foul at the time. Despite the severity of the incident, Mendes was back playing for Portsmouth two weeks later. However, he expressed his shock at the challenge[12] and stated that he had considered quitting the game due to his injuries.[13] Thatcher was fined and suspended by Manchester City,[14] and was charged by The Football Association,[15][16] but was not sued by Mendes.[17] When they next faced one another in January 2007, Mendes shook hands with Thatcher pre-match,[18][19] despite claiming beforehand that he would not do so.[20]

In the 2007–08 season, Mendes won his first and only footballing honour during his spell in English football – he started in the Portsmouth side that won the FA Cup after a 1–0 win over Cardiff City in the final on 17 May 2008.[21] Mendes returned to Wembley Stadium three months later as part of the Portsmouth team that contested the 2008 FA Community Shield on 10 August. The match ended 0–0 after extra time, where Manchester United later triumphed 3–1 on penalties.[22]

On 21 February 2012, Mendes signed up to the Portsmouth Supporters Trust to join a group of over 5,000 other Pompey fans uniting in their attempts to take over the ownership of Portsmouth Football Club.

Rangers

Mendes playing for Rangers

On 15 August 2008, Mendes completed a £3 million transfer to Rangers, signing a three-year contract.[23] He made his debut one day later, starting and winning the man of the match award in the 2–0 Scottish Premier League win over Hearts.[24] He scored his first goal for the club in the first Old Firm match of the season on 31 August 2008. Mendes scored the fourth goal of the match (and Rangers' third) when he received the ball from a Steven Davis corner and drilled it from 25 yards out into the Celtic goal. He was named SPL Player of the Month for August after a string of impressive performances.[25] He scored the second goal of the game in Rangers' title winning game against Dundee United in May 2009 but missed the 2009 Scottish Cup Final due to injury. He won the BBC Sportsound Player of the Year in 2008–09 for accumulating the most man-of-the-match performances throughout the season.[26] The following season, Mendes made eight appearances but was injured in November during a UEFA Champions League match against Unirea Urziceni, which was his final appearance.

Later years

On 30 January 2010, Mendes joined Sporting CP in a deal worth €1.28 million.[27] When he signed, he became a first choice midfielder for the club under the management of Carlos Carvalhal, and despite the club finishing in a disappointing fourth place, he was praised for his performances. He scored his first goal in his first season of the club in a win over Everton in the UEFA Europa League,[28] and again against former club Rangers in the tournament's round of 32. The next season saw Mendes play less under the new manager of Paulo Bento, where he only managed to play 16 matches throughout the season.

On 15 July 2011, Sporting CP announced that Mendes had agreed to be released from the club and decided to sign with his boyhood club Vitória de Guimarães on a free transfer.[29] He started off the next season by playing against former club Porto in the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, which Vitória lost 2–1. From August to January 2012, he started all Vitória's matches in all competitions, including the Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal, Taça da Liga, and the Europa League. In late January 2012, he sustained an injury which kept him out until the end of the season. He made his recovery in April 2012, where he went on to play the last few matches of the season. At the end of the 2011–12 Primeira Liga, he decided to end his playing career.[30]

International career

Mendes in Portugal colours, 2015

Mendes made his debut for Portugal as a 57th-minute substitute for Rui Costa on 20 November 2002, during a 2–0 friendly win over Scotland. His second cap came on 12 February 2003 during a 1–0 defeat to Italy.[31]

After a six-year absence from international football, Mendes earned a surprise recall to the Portugal squad on 27 August 2008.[32] He was given another surprise call up in October 2009, and started in the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Hungary, where he played the full match and set-up the second goal in Portugal's 3–0 win. He was then included in Carlos Queiroz's 23-man squad to represent Portugal at the 2010 World Cup, where he took part in every match, two as a starter against the Ivory Coast and North Korea and two as a substitute against Brazil and Spain.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other[a] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Felgueiras (loan) 1998–99 Segunda Divisão de Honra 31 2 2 0 – 0 0 33 2
Vitória de Guimarães 1999–2000 Primeira Liga 12 1 3 0 – 0 0 15 1
2000–01 Primeira Liga 12 0 0 0 – 0 0 12 0
2001–02 Primeira Liga 26 0 2 0 – 0 0 28 0
2002–03 Primeira Liga 32 6 3 0 – 0 0 35 6
Total 82 7 8 0 0 0 0 0 90 7
Porto 2003–04 Primeira Liga 26 0 4 0 – 11 0 41 0
Tottenham Hotspur 2004–05 Premier League 24 1 2 0 4 0 0 0 30 1
2005–06 Premier League 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
Total 30 1 2 0 4 0 0 0 36 1
Portsmouth 2005–06 Premier League 14 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 15 3
2006–07 Premier League 26 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 28 2
2007–08 Premier League 18 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 24 0
2008–09 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
Total 58 5 6 0 3 0 1 0 68 5
Rangers 2008–09 Scottish Premier League 35 3 3 0 4 1 0 0 42 4
2009–10 Scottish Premier League 4 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 8 0
Total 39 3 3 0 5 1 3 0 50 4
Sporting CP 2009–10 Primeira Liga 11 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 16 1
2010–11 Primeira Liga 7 0 2 0 3 0 4 1 16 1
Total 18 0 2 0 4 0 8 2 32 2
Vitória de Guimarães 2011–12 Primeira Liga 14 0 1 0 2 0 5 0 22 0
Career total 298 18 28 0 18 1 28 2 372 21

International

Mendes in 2018
Appearances and goals by national team and year[33]
National team Year Apps Goals
Portugal 2002 1 0
2003 1 0
2004 0 0
2005 0 0
2006 0 0
2007 0 0
2008 0 0
2009 2 0
2010 7 0
Total 11 0

Honours

Porto

Portsmouth

Rangers

Notes

  1. ^ Appearances in Europe and FA Community Shield

References

  1. ^ [1] Mendes goal disallowed. Archived 4 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Futebol Clube do Porto – Futebol, SAD announces acquisition of the sporting rights of Hélder Postiga" (PDF). FC Porto (in Portuguese). Published by Portuguese Securities Market Commission (CMVM). 9 July 2004. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  3. ^ "Spurs sign Davis and Mendes" The Daily Telegraph (9 July 2004)
  4. ^ "Tottenham 5–2 Everton" BBC Sport website (1 January 2005)
  5. ^ "Manchester United 0–0 Tottenham" BBC Sport website (4 January 2005)
  6. ^ "The Pedro Mendes goal that wasn't given" BBC Sport website (5 January 2005)
  7. ^ "Fifa rules out video evidence". The Guardian. London. 5 January 2005.
  8. ^ "Portsmouth swoop for Spurs trio" BBC Sport website (12 January 2006)
  9. ^ "Portsmouth 2–1 Manchester City" BBC Sport website (11 March 2006)
  10. ^ "Man City 0–0 Portsmouth" BBC Sport website (23 August 2006)
  11. ^ "Thatcher foul incenses Redknapp" BBC Sport website (23 August 2006)
  12. ^ "Mendes shocked by Thatcher foul" BBC Sport website (25 August 2006)
  13. ^ "Mendes considered quitting game" BBC Sport website (7 September 2006)
  14. ^ "Man City hand Thatcher ban & fine" BBC Sport website (30 August 2006)
  15. ^ "Thatcher banned for eight matches" BBC Sport website (12 September 2006)
  16. ^ "Thatcher receives eight-match ban". CNN. 12 September 2006. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  17. ^ "I will not sue Thatcher – Mendes" BBC Sport website (27 August 2006)
  18. ^ "Charlton shock Portsmouth with late winner". Irish Examiner. 20 January 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  19. ^ "Soccer – FA Barclays Premiership – Portsmouth v Charlton Athletic - Fratton Park". EMPICS / Getty Images. 20 January 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  20. ^ "Thatcher? He doesn't exist, says Mendes". Evening Standard. 18 January 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  21. ^ "Portsmouth 1–0 Cardiff". BBC Sport website. 17 May 2008.
  22. ^ "Man Utd 0–0 Portsmouth" BBC Sport (10 August 2008)
  23. ^ "Rangers confirm capture of Mendes". BBC Sport. 15 August 2008.
  24. ^ "Rangers 2–0 Hearts". BBC Sport. 16 August 2008.
  25. ^ "Celtic 2–4 Rangers" BBC Sport website (31 August 2008)
  26. ^ "Sportsound Player of the Year 2008/09". BBC. 28 December 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  27. ^ "Oferta pública de subscrição – Prospecto" [Public Offer for Subscription – Prospectus] (PDF). Sporting CP (in Portuguese). 10 December 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
  28. ^ "Sporting Lisbon sign Pedro Mendes from Rangers". BBC Sport. 30 January 2010.
  29. ^ ""Regresso à minha verdadeira casa" – Pedro Mendes". A Bola. 15 July 2011. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  30. ^ "Pedro Mendes deixa Vitória de Guimarães e termina carreira". A Bola. 14 May 2012.
  31. ^ "Italy 1–0 Portugal" Soccerbase (12 February 2003)
  32. ^ "On the Mendes" Archived 28 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine Rangers Official website (27 August 2008)
  33. ^ Pedro Mendes at National-Football-Teams.com

External links

Portugal squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup
2008–09 PFA Scotland SPL Team of the Year
Categories