Quick Facts
CapricornBiography
Ryan Isaac Mendes da Graça (born 8 January 1990) is a Cape Verdean football winger who plays for Sharjah.
Career
Born in Mindelo, São Vicente, Mendes began his career with hometown club Batuque FC and in 2008 was sold to Le Havre AC, with whom he played his first game in Ligue 1 on 13 May 2009 against AS Saint-Étienne. He was monitored by Leicester City scout Steve Walsh, who instead signed teammate Riyad Mahrez to the club.
Mendes joined Lille in 2012. 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.
On 4 September 2015, he joined English side Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan. On 24 September 2015, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw with Huddersfield Town.
In April 2019 he spoke about his title challenge with UAE club Sharjah FC.
International career
He is also member of the Cape Verde U-21 national team and played formerly with the U-16 on an International Tournament for Under-16 years old players in Gonfreville-L'Orcher.
Career statistics
- As of match played on 18 May 2018
| Club | Season | League | 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 | 0 | 0 | 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Nottingham Forest (loan) | 2015–16 | Championship | 32 | 2 | 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 8 | ||
| Career totals | 212 | 35 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 247 | 43 | ||
International goals
- Scores and results list Cape Verde's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 8 October 2011 | Estádio da Várzea, Praia |  Zimbabwe | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2. | 29 February 2012 | Stade Municipal de Mahamasina, Antananarivo |  Madagascar | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3. | 16 June 2012 | Estádio da Várzea, Praia | 1–0 | 3–1 | ||
| 4. | 3–0 | |||||
| 5. | 10 September 2014 |  Zambia | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 6. | 6 September 2015 | Petro Sport Stadium, New Cairo |  Libya | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 7. | 1 June 2018 | July 5, 1962 Stadium, Algiers |  Algeria | 2–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 8. | 18 November 2019 | Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, Praia |  Mozambique | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
