Ryan Mendes

Ryan Isaac Mendes da Graca (born 8 January 1990) is a Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays as a winger for Al-Nasr and the Cape Verde national team.

He spent most of his club career in France with Le Havre and Lille, and in the UAE Pro League with Sharjah and Al-Nasr. He also had brief spells in England's Championship with Nottingham Forest, and the Turkish Super Lig with Kayserispor.

Mendes made his senior international debut for Cape Verde in 2010, earning over 50 caps. He represented the nation at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013, 2015 and 2021.

Club Career

Le Havre

Born in Mindelo, Sao Vicente, Mendes began his career with hometown club Batuque FC. In 2008 he was sold to Le Havre AC, with whom he played his first game in Ligue 1 on 13 May 2009 against AS Saint-Etienne, as a late substitute for Maxime Baca in a 4–2 home loss. He was monitored by Leicester City scout Steve Walsh, who instead signed teammate Riyad Mahrez to the club.

In the 2011–12 Ligue 2, Mendes was joint third top scorer with 13 goals.

Lille

On 1 September 2012, Mendes returned to Ligue 1 on a four-year deal at Lille. He joined for a €3 million fee – the club was in a good financial place after the sale of Eden Hazard to Chelsea – and his monthly salary rose from €7,000 to €120,000. 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, Mendes joined English side Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan. He scored his first goal for the club twenty days later, opening a 1–1 draw with Huddersfield Town.

Later career

On 31 January 2017, Mendes signed for Kayserispor – ranked 17th in Turkey's Super Lig – until the summer of 2020.

This page also has a version in other languages :  Райан Мендеш (russian)