Ryan Mendes
Mendes playing for Lille in 2014
Personal information
Full name Ryan Isaac Mendes da Graça
Date of birth (1990-01-08) 8 January 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth Mindelo, Cape Verde
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Fatih Karagümrük
Number 20
Youth career
Batuque FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2012 Le Havre 84 (20)
2010 Le Havre II 1 (0)
2012–2017 Lille 54 (7)
2014–2016 Lille II 2 (1)
2015–2016 → Nottingham Forest (loan) 35 (2)
2017–2018 Kayserispor 39 (5)
2018–2020 Sharjah 44 (20)
2020–2023 Al Nasr 68 (15)
2023– Fatih Karagümrük 16 (2)
International career‡
2006 Cape Verde U16 9 (2)
2007 Cape Verde U21 8 (1)
2010– Cape Verde 76 (18)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:29, 7 March 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:00, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Ryan Isaac Mendes da Graça (born 8 January 1990) is a Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays as a winger for Süper Lig club Fatih Karagümrük and the Cape Verde national team.

He spent most of his club career in France with Le Havre and Lille, and in the UAE Pro League with Sharjah and Al-Nasr. He also had brief spells in England's Championship with Nottingham Forest, and the Turkish Süper Lig with Kayserispor and Fatih Karagümrük.

Mendes made his senior international debut for Cape Verde in 2010, earning over 70 caps. He represented the nation at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013, 2015, 2021 and 2023.

Club career

Le Havre

Born in Mindelo, São Vicente, Mendes began his career with hometown club Batuque FC. In 2008 he was sold to Le Havre AC,[2] with whom he played his first game in Ligue 1 on 13 May 2009 against AS Saint-Étienne, as a late substitute for Maxime Baca in a 4–2 home loss.[3][4] He was monitored by Leicester City scout Steve Walsh, who instead signed teammate Riyad Mahrez to the club.[5]

In the 2011–12 Ligue 2, Mendes was joint third top scorer with 13 goals.[6]

Lille

On 1 September 2012, Mendes returned to Ligue 1 on a four-year deal at Lille. He joined for a €3 million fee – the club was in a good financial place after the sale of Eden Hazard to Chelsea – and his monthly salary rose from €7,000 to €120,000.[7] He missed the second half of his first season after having surgery on a right ankle tendon and remained on the sidelines until December 2013. He told the league's website that he was not going to retire despite the injuries.[8]

Mendes's opportunities at Lille were reduced after the dismissal of manager Rudi Garcia in 2013.[9] On 4 September 2015, Mendes joined English side Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan.[10] He scored his first goal for the club twenty days later, opening a 1–1 draw with Huddersfield Town.[11]

Later career

On 31 January 2017, Mendes signed for Kayserispor – ranked 17th in Turkey's Süper Lig – until the summer of 2020.[12] In July 2018, he terminated his deal and moved to Sharjah FC of the UAE Pro League on a three-year deal.[13] He won the league in his first season.[9][14]

Remaining in the United Arab Emirates, Mendes moved to Al-Nasr SC in Dubai on a two-year contract in July 2020.[15] On 10 August 2023, he went back to Turkey's top division and signed a two-year contract with Fatih Karagümrük.[16]

International career

Mendes was a member of the Cape Verde under-21 national team[17] and played formerly with the under-16s an international tournament in Gonfreville-L'Orcher.

He made his debut for the senior team on 11 August 2010, as a 58th-minute substitute for Babanco in a 1–0 friendly loss away to Senegal. His first international goal was scored on 8 October 2011, in a 2–1 loss at Zimbabwe in 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification.[18]

In 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, Mendes scored three goals in two wins over Madagascar.[19][20] At the finals in South Africa, Cape Verde's first major tournament, he played all four games of a run to the quarter-finals.[21][22][23][24]

Mendes scored the decider on 10 September 2014 as Cape Verde won 2–1 against Zambia in Praia, in 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification.[25] He was called up for the finals in Equatorial Guinea,[26] playing in all three draws of a group-stage elimination.

In November 2020, he reached 50 international caps, for which he was rewarded with a shirt and plaque the following March.[27] A year later, he was called up for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon[28] and appeared in two of Cape Verde's matches at the tournament.[29]

In December 2023, Mendes was named in Cape Verde's squad for his fourth Africa Cup of Nations – the 2023 tournament in the Ivory Coast.[30] He captained the team in their opening two matches of the tournament – wins against Ghana (2–1), and Mozambique (3–0) – scoring and being named man of the match in the latter.[31] He later scored the only goal from a penalty in a 1–0 victory over Mauritania, which qualified his country to the quarter-finals.[32]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played on 18 May 2018[33]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Le Havre 2008–09 Ligue 1 1 0 0 0 — — 1 0
2009–10 Ligue 2 14 1 0 0 1 0 — 15 1
2010–11 32 4 0 0 2 0 — 34 4
2011–12 34 13 3 1 2 2 — 39 16
2012–13 3 2 0 0 — — 3 2
Total 84 20 3 1 5 2 — 92 23
Le Havre II 2010–11 CFA 1 0 — — — 1 0
Lille 2012–13 Ligue 1 9 2 0 0 — 3 0 12 2
2013–14 16 3 3 0 — — 19 3
2014–15 19 2 0 0 2 0 10 1 31 3
2015–16 3 0 0 0 — — 3 0
2016–17 7 0 0 0 — 2 1 9 1
Total 54 7 3 0 2 0 15 2 74 9
Lille II 2013–14 CFA 1 1 — — — 1 1
2016–17 1 0 — — — 1 0
Total 2 1 — — — 2 1
Nottingham Forest (loan) 2015–16 Championship 32 2 0 0 0 0 — 32 2
Kayserispor 2016–17 Süper Lig 6 1 1 0 — — 7 1
2017–18 33 4 6 3 — — 39 7
Total 39 5 7 3 — — 46 8
Career total 212 35 13 4 7 2 15 2 247 43

International

Scores and results list Cape Verde's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mendes goal.
List of international goals scored by Ryan Mendes[34]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 8 October 2011 Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape Verde  Zimbabwe 2–0 2–1 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2 29 February 2012 Stade Municipal de Mahamasina, Antananarivo, Madagascar  Madagascar 1–0 4–0 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
3 16 June 2012 Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape Verde  Madagascar 1–0 3–1 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
4 3–0
5 10 September 2014 Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape Verde  Zambia 2–1 2–1 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
6 6 September 2015 Petro Sport Stadium, New Cairo, Egypt  Libya 2–1 2–1 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
7 1 June 2018 July 5, 1962 Stadium, Algiers, Algeria  Algeria 2–2 3–2 Friendly
8 18 November 2019 Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, Praia, Cape Verde  Mozambique 2–1 2–2 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
9 7 October 2020 Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella, Andorra  Andorra 1–0 2–1 Friendly
10 2–1
11 26 March 2021 Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, Praia, Cape Verde  Cameroon 3–1 3–1 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
12 10 October 2021 Estádio Municipal Adérito Sena, Mindelo, Cape Verde  Liberia 1–0 1–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
13 23 September 2022 Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain  Bahrain 2–1 2–1 Friendly
14 28 March 2023 Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela, South Africa  Eswatini 1–0 1–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
15 21 November 2023 Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela, South Africa  Eswatini 1–0 2–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
16 19 January 2024 Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast  Mozambique 2–0 3–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
17 29 January 2024 Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast  Mauritania 1–0 1–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
18 21 March 2024 Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia  Guyana 1–0 1–0 2024 FIFA Series

Honours

Sharjah

References

  1. ^ Ryan Mendes at L'Équipe Football (in French)
  2. ^ "Actualité à la une en Normandie, toutes les informations locales". www.paris-normandie.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Ryan Mendes Da Graca" (in German). fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  4. ^ "Résultat et résumé Le Havre - Saint-Étienne, Ligue 1, 35e journée, Mercredi 13 Mai 2009". L'Équipe (in French). 13 May 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez not target of original scouting mission says head of recruitment". Leicester Mercury. 22 October 2015. Archived from the original on 29 November 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Ligue 2. Fauré double Ghilas sur le fil pour le titre de meilleur buteur". Ouest-France (in French). 18 May 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Losc: Salaire, indemnité, les chiffres du transfert de Ryan Mendes !" (in French). Sportune. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  8. ^ Mondal, Subhankar (20 November 2013). "Lille's Ryan Mendes dismisses retirement talks". Sports Mole. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  9. ^ a b Lomas, Mark (24 April 2019). "Cape Verde's Ryan Mendes aiming for unlikely UAE title". BBC Sport.
  10. ^ "Nelson Oliveira and Ryan Mendes join Nottingham Forest on loan". BBC Sport. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  11. ^ Smee, Gary (24 September 2015). "Huddersfield 1–1 Nottm Forest". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  12. ^ Martins, Sébastien (31 January 2017). "OFFICIEL : Ryan Mendes quitte Lille" (in French). Goal. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Ryan Mendes leaves Kayserispor for UAE club". Turkish Football News. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Sharjah crowned champions; Dibba and Emirates relegated". Gulf Today. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Futebol: Ryan Mendes troca o Al Sharjah pelo AL Nasr [sic]". A Nação (in Portuguese). 8 July 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  16. ^ "Fatih Karagümrük'ten sol kanat transferi". ntvspor.net (in Turkish). 10 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  17. ^ Criolosports (15 May 2009). "Criolosports.com: Ryan Mendes estreia-se no Le Havre". Criolosports.com. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  18. ^ Ryan Mendes at National-Football-Teams.com
  19. ^ "CAN 2013: Le Cap Vert domine Madagascar" (in French). 29 February 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  20. ^ "CAN 2013 : Le Cap Vert écarte Madagascar" (in French). Afrik Foot. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  21. ^ Fottrell, Stephen (19 January 2013). "South Africa 0–0 Cape Verde". Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  22. ^ Fottrell, Stephen (23 January 2013). "Morocco 1–1 Cape Verde Islands". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  23. ^ Fottrell, Stephen (27 January 2013). "Cape Verde 2–1 Angola". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  24. ^ Hughes, Ian (2 February 2013). "Ghana 2–0 Cape Verde". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  25. ^ "CAN: Zé Luís e Ryan Mendes dão triunfo a Cabo Verde". Record (in Portuguese). 10 September 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  26. ^ "Cardoso da Silva: "Convocatória é correcta para Cabo Verde alcançar um bom resultado"" (in Portuguese). Radio France International. 24 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  27. ^ Furtado, António (25 March 2021). "Ryan Mendes: 50 jogos pela seleção nacional de futebol" (in Portuguese). Gaft Sports. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Afcon 2021: Ethiopia and Cape Verde squads for finals in Cameroon". BBC Sport. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  29. ^ "RYAN MENDES". ESPN. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Cape Verde name veterans Mendes, Vozinha in African Cup of Nations squad". Reuters. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  31. ^ ""We have achieved our first target" - Ryan Mendes after qualification". CAF Online. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Cape Verde 1–0 Mauritania". BBC Sport. 29 January 2024.
  33. ^ Ryan Mendes at Soccerway. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  34. ^ Ryan Mendes at FootballDatabase.eu

External links

Fatih Karagümrük S.K. – current squad
Cape Verde squads
2011–12 Ligue 2 UNFP Team of the Year
Categories