Rui Mendes
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rui Jorge Monteiro Mendes | ||
| Date of birth | 10 November 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Gondar, Amarante, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Right winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Telstar | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2016–2018 | Arminia Bielefeld | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2021 | 1899 Hoffenheim II | 59 | (10) |
| 2021–2024 | Emmen | 69 | (18) |
| 2024–2026 | Groningen | 34 | (3) |
| 2026– | Telstar | 0 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 May 2026 | |||
Rui Jorge Monteiro Mendes (born 10 November 1999) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Dutch Eredivisie club Telstar.[1]
Early life
[edit]From Gondor, in Amarante, Portugal, Mendes moved at the age of seven to Dissen, Lower Saxony with his family. He was in the youth academy of Arminia Bielefeld but was not offered a professional contract. Instead he joined up with 1899 Hoffenheim aged 18 on a two-year contract. He trained with the first team under Julian Nagelsmann and played for their second team before ultimately leaving on a free transfer in 2021.[2]
Career
[edit]During a trial game for FC Emmen Mendes scored twice against Heracles Almelo to earn a contract.[3]
In the 2021–22 season, Mendes was instrumental in FC Emmen's championship winning season in the Eerste Divisie. Mendes scored in eight consecutive games, just one short of the all time FC Emmen record from the 2001–02 season, when Paul Weerman scored in nine consecutive matches.[4]
In January 2024, Mendes joined Eerste Divisie club Groningen on a three-and-a-half-year deal.[5]
In July 2026, Mendes moved to Eredivisie club Telstar for two seasons.[6]
Honours
[edit]Emmen
References
[edit]- 1 2 Rui Mendes at WorldFootball.net
- ↑ "Rui Mendes". Soccerway. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ↑ "From Nagelsmann to the Netherlands: Rui Mendes - the Luso-German who came from nowhere to inspire Emmen to Eredivisie promotion". Portugal.net.
- ↑ "Rui Mendes: treinou com Nagelsmann e agora é homem-golo nos Países Baixos". maisfutebol.iol.pt. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ↑ "FC GRONINGEN CONTRACTEERT AANVALLER RUI MENDES" [FC GRONINGEN SIGNS ATTACKER RUI MENDES.]. www.fcgroningen.nl (in Dutch). 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ↑ "Telstar versterkt zich met Rui Mendes" [Telstar strengthens with Rui Mendes] (in Dutch). SC Telstar. 14 July 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- 1999 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Amarante, Portugal
- Footballers from Porto District
- 21st-century Portuguese sportsmen
- Men's association football wingers
- Portuguese men's footballers
- Regionalliga players
- Eredivisie players
- Eerste Divisie players
- TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II players
- Arminia Bielefeld players
- FC Emmen players
- FC Groningen players
- SC Telstar players
- Portuguese expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
- Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Germany
- Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
- Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands