.JPG) Mendes playing forLille in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ryan Isaac Mendes da Graça | ||
| Date of birth | (1990-01-08)8 January 1990 (age 35) | ||
| Place of birth | Mindelo,Cape Verde | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Iğdır | ||
| 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) |
| 2023–2024 | Fatih Karagümrük | 23 | (4) |
| 2024–2025 | Kocaelispor | 34 | (12) |
| 2025– | Iğdır | 4 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2006 | Cape Verde U16 | 9 | (2) |
| 2007 | Cape Verde U21 | 8 | (1) |
| 2010– | Cape Verde | 94 | (22) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 1 June 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:41, 17 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Ryan Isaac Mendes da Graça (born 8 January 1990) is aCape Verdean professionalfootballer who plays as awinger forTFF 1. Lig clubIğdır and theCape Verde national team.
He spent most of his club career in France withLe Havre andLille, and in theUAE Pro League withSharjah andAl-Nasr. He also had brief spells in England'sChampionship withNottingham Forest, and the TurkishSüper Lig withKayserispor and Fatih Karagümrük.
Mendes made his senior international debut forCape Verde in 2010, earning over 90caps. He represented the nation at theAfrica Cup of Nations in2013,2015,2021 and2023.
Born inMindelo,São Vicente, Mendes began his career with hometown clubBatuque FC. In 2008 he was sold toLe Havre AC,[2] with whom he played his first game inLigue 1 on 13 May 2009 againstAS Saint-Étienne, as a late substitute forMaxime Baca in a 4–2 home loss.[3][4] He was monitored byLeicester City scoutSteve Walsh, who instead signed teammateRiyad Mahrez to the club.[5]
In the2011–12Ligue 2, Mendes was joint third top scorer with 13 goals.[6]
On 1 September 2012, Mendes returned to Ligue 1 on a four-year deal atLille. He joined for a €3 million fee – the club was in a good financial place after the sale ofEden 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 managerRudi Garcia in 2013.[9] On 4 September 2015, Mendes joined English sideNottingham Forest on a season-long loan.[10] He scored his first goal for the club twenty days later, opening a 1–1 draw withHuddersfield Town.[11]
On 31 January 2017, Mendes signed forKayserispor – ranked 17th in Turkey'sSüper Lig – until the summer of 2020.[12] In July 2018, he terminated his deal and moved toSharjah FC of theUAE 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 toAl-Nasr SC inDubai 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 withFatih Karagümrük.[16]
Mendes was a member of theCape 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 forBabanco in a 1–0 friendly loss away toSenegal. His first international goal was scored on 8 October 2011, in a 2–1 loss atZimbabwe in2012 Africa Cup of Nationsqualification.[18]
In2013 Africa Cup of Nationsqualification, Mendes scored three goals in two wins overMadagascar.[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 againstZambia inPraia, in2015 Africa Cup of Nationsqualification.[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 internationalcaps, for which he was rewarded with a shirt and plaque the following March.[27] A year later, he was called up for the2021 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 fourthAfrica Cup of Nations – the2023 tournament in theIvory Coast.[30] Hecaptained the team in their opening two matches of the tournament – wins againstGhana (2–1), andMozambique (3–0) – scoring and being namedman of the match in the latter.[31] He later scored the only goal from a penalty in a 1–0 victory overMauritania, which qualified his country to the quarter-finals.[32]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Goals | Apps | ||
| Le Havre | 2008–09 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Ligue 2 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11 | Ligue 2 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 4 | |||
| 2011–12 | Ligue 2 | 34 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 39 | 16 | |||
| 2012–13 | Ligue 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 2 | |||
| Total | 84 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 92 | 22 | ||||
| Le Havre II | 2010–11 | CFA | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Lille | 2012–13 | Ligue 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | — | 12 | 2 | |
| 2013–14 | Ligue 1 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 3 | |||
| 2014–15 | Ligue 1 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10[d] | 1 | — | 31 | 3 | ||
| 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[e] | 1 | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| Total | 54 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 2 | — | 74 | 9 | |||
| Lille II | 2013–14 | CFA | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2016–17 | CFA | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| 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 | Süper Lig | 33 | 4 | 6 | 3 | — | — | — | 39 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 39 | 5 | 7 | 3 | — | — | — | 46 | 8 | |||||
| Sharjah | 2018–19 | UAE Pro League | 26 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 9 | ||
| 2019–20 | UAE Pro League | 18 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2[f] | 1 | 1[g] | 0 | 24 | 13 | |
| Total | 44 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 22 | ||
| Al-Nasr | 2020–21 | UAE Pro League | 22 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 27 | 7 | ||
| 2021–22 | UAE Pro League | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 4 | |||
| 2022–23 | UAE Pro League | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 28 | 6 | |||
| Total | 68 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | — | — | 80 | 17 | ||||
| Fatih Karagümrük | 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 23 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 26 | 6 | |||
| Kocaelispor | 2024–25 | TFF First League | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 5 | |||
| Career total | 360 | 78 | 16 | 6 | 22 | 5 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 416 | 92 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Verde | 2010 | 3 | 0 |
| 2011 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 4 | 3 | |
| 2013 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 15 | 6 | |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | |
| Total | 94 | 22 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 October 2011 | Estádio da Várzea,Praia, Cape Verde |  Zimbabwe | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [35] |
| 2 | 29 February 2012 | Mahamasina Municipal Stadium,Antananarivo, Madagascar |  Madagascar | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [36] |
| 3 | 16 June 2012 | Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape Verde | Madagascar | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [37] |
| 4 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 5 | 10 September 2014 | Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, Praia, Cape Verde |  Zambia | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [38] |
| 6 | 6 September 2015 | Petrosport Stadium,New Cairo, Egypt |  Libya | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [39] |
| 7 | 1 June 2018 | Stade du 5 Juillet,Algiers, Algeria |  Algeria | 2–2 | 3–2 | Friendly | [40] |
| 8 | 18 November 2019 | Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, Praia, Cape Verde |  Mozambique | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [41] |
| 9 | 7 October 2020 | Estadi Nacional,Andorra la Vella, Andorra |  Andorra | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | [42] |
| 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 | [43] |
| 12 | 10 October 2021 | Estádio Municipal Adérito Sena,Mindelo, Cape Verde |  Liberia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [44] |
| 13 | 23 September 2022 | Bahrain National Stadium,Riffa, Bahrain |  Bahrain | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | [45] |
| 14 | 28 March 2023 | Mbombela Stadium,Mbombela, South Africa |  Eswatini | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [46] |
| 15 | 21 November 2023 | Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela, South Africa | Eswatini | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | [47] |
| 16 | 19 January 2024 | Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium,Abidjan, Ivory Coast | Mozambique | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations | [48] |
| 17 | 29 January 2024 | Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Mauritania | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations | [49] |
| 18 | 21 March 2024 | Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City,Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |  Guyana | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | [50] |
| 19 | 10 September 2024 | Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, Praia, Cape Verde | Mauritania | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [51] |
| 20 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 21 | 15 November 2024 | Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, Praia, Cape Verde |  Egypt | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [52] |
| 22 | 8 June 2025 | Ramaz Shengelia Stadium,Kutaisi, Georgia |  Georgia | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | [53] |
Sharjah
Cape Verde squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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