Pedro Mendes (footballer, born 1979)

Early career

Mendes started 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 FC Porto. At Porto, he won the 2004 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 England. He was a part-exchange deal which saw Hélder Postiga moving in the opposite direction. Tottenham received €7.5 million for Postiga whilst paying Porto €3 million for Mendes. 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.

His second goal for Tottenham should have come in his next game three days later. Mendes, however, 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 the referee Mark Clattenburg deemed the ball not to have crossed the line, although TV replays showed the ball had clearly gone over the line.

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 was looking 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. He became a pivotal player and goal scorer in the club's fight to avoid relegation. Mendes made his Portsmouth debut in a league match against Everton on 14 January. His first and second goals have earned Mendes a place in Portsmouth folklore as they came in a crucial match against Manchester City on 11 March 2006. Both goals were 25-yard shots, the first to give Portsmouth the lead on the hour mark and the second, 93rd minute, gave the club a 2–1 win.

On 23 August, during another match against Manchester City, 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. Thatcher only received a yellow card for the foul and despite the severity of the incident, Mendes was back playing for Portsmouth two weeks later. He did, however, express his shock at the challenge and that he had considered quitting the game due to his injuries. Thatcher was fined and suspended by Manchester City and was charged by The Football Association, he was not however, sued by Mendes.

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. 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, Manchester United later triumphed 3–1 on penalties.

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 deal. He made his debut a day later, starting and winning the man of the match award in the 2–0 Scottish Premier League win over Hearts. He scored his first goal for the club in the first Old Firm match of the season on 31 August 2008. Mendes netted 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. 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. 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 Clube de Portugal in a deal worth €1.28 million. 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 and again against his old 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 games 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. He started off the next season by playing against his former club FC 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 games of the season. At the end of the 2011–12 Primeira Liga, he decided to end his playing career.

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.

After a six-year absence from international football, he earned a surprise recall to the Portugal set-up on 27 August 2008. Mendes 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 FIFA World Cup, where he took part in every game, two as a starter against Côte d'Ivoire and North Korea and two as a substitute against Brazil and Spain.

As of 20 May 2012

Porto

• Primeira Liga: 2003–04
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2003
• UEFA Champions League: 2003–04
• Taça de Portugal: Runner-up 2003–04

Portsmouth

• FA Cup: 2008
• FA Community Shield: Runner-up 2008

Rangers

• Scottish Premier League: 2008–09

Vitória de Guimarães

• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: Runner-up 2011