 Mendes in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pedro Miguel da Silva Mendes | ||
| Date of birth | (1979-02-26)26 February 1979 (age 46) | ||
| Place of birth | Guimarães, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | 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:[ˈpeðɾuˈmẽdɨʃ]; born 26 February 1979) is a Portuguese former professionalfootballer who played as amidfielder. He works as a football agent.
Starting his career with home town clubVitória de Guimarães, Mendes won theUEFA Champions League withPorto in the2003–04 season. He then moved to thePremier League, initially withTottenham Hotspur in 2004, where he famously scored a 45-yard ghost goal againstManchester United that was wrongly not given by the officials despite goalkeeperRoy 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 atScottish Premier League sideRangers.
Mendes wascapped twelve times by thePortugal national team and was a member of their squad for the2010 FIFA World Cup.
Mendes began his professional career withFelgueiras, on a one-year loan fromVitória de Guimarães. He returned to Guimarães and stayed for four seasons before moving on toPorto. At Porto, he won the2003–04 UEFA Champions League,Primeira Liga and theCândido de Oliveira Super Cup under managerJosé Mourinho.
On 8 July 2004, Mendes joinedPremier League sideTottenham Hotspur in a part-exchange deal which sawHélder 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 toLiverpool. Mendes scored his first goal for the club on 1 January 2005 in a 5–2 league win overEverton.[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 againstManchester United atOld Trafford. His speculative shot from 55 yards out should have been a relatively easy catch for goalkeeperRoy 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 refereeMark 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 coachMartin Jol sought to offload him.
Mendes joinedPortsmouth on 12 January 2006 in a combined deal that includedSean Davis andNoé 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 againstManchester 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 byThe 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 the2007–08 season, Mendes won his first and only footballing honour during his spell in English football – he started in the Portsmouth side that won theFA Cup after a 1–0 win overCardiff City in thefinal on 17 May 2008.[21] Mendes returned toWembley Stadium three months later as part of the Portsmouth team that contested the2008 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 otherPompey fans uniting in their attempts to take over the ownership of Portsmouth Football Club.
On 15 August 2008, Mendes completed a £3 million transfer toRangers, signing a three-year contract.[23] He made his debut one day later, starting and winning theman of the match award in the 2–0Scottish Premier League win overHearts.[24] He scored his first goal for the club in the firstOld 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 aSteven Davis corner and drilled it from 25 yards out into theCeltic 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 againstDundee United in May 2009 but missed the2009 Scottish Cup Final due to injury. He won theBBCSportsound Player of the Year in2008–09 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 aUEFA Champions League match againstUnirea Urziceni, which was his final appearance.
On 30 January 2010, Mendes joinedSporting CP in a deal worth €1.28 million.[27] When he signed, he became a first choice midfielder for the club under the management ofCarlos 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 theUEFA 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 ofPaulo 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 theCândido 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 the2011–12 Primeira Liga, he decided to end his playing career.[30]
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Mendes made his debut forPortugal as a 57th-minute substitute forRui Costa on 20 November 2002, during a 2–0 friendly win overScotland. His second cap came on 12 February 2003 during a 1–0 defeat toItaly.[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 theFIFA World Cup qualifier againstHungary, where he played the full match and set-up the second goal in Portugal's 3–0 win. He was then included inCarlos Queiroz's 23-man squad to represent Portugal at the2010 World Cup, where he took part in every match, two as a starter against theIvory Coast andNorth Korea and two as a substitute againstBrazil andSpain.
| 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 | ||
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| 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 | |
Porto
Portsmouth
Rangers
