Clau Mendes
Personal information
Full name Claudio Mendes Vicente
Date of birth (2000-12-08) 8 December 2000
Place of birth Arrecife, Spain
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Cornellà
Youth career
Torrelavega
Orientación Marítima
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2020 Las Palmas C 21 (1)
2019–2021 Las Palmas B 8 (2)
2020–2023 Las Palmas 24 (1)
2022 → Rayo Majadahonda (loan) 12 (3)
2022–2023 → Logroñés (loan) 33 (4)
2023– Cornellà 0 (0)
International career
2018 Guinea-Bissau U17 1 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 May 2023

Claudio "Clau" Mendes Vicente (born 8 December 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Spanish club UE Cornellà. Born in Spain, he represents Guinea-Bissau at youth international level.

Club career

Born in Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands to Bissau-Guinean parents,[1] Mendes represented SRCyD Torrelavega and CD Orientación Marítima as a youth before joining UD Las Palmas in 2019.[2] Initially assigned to the C-team in Tercera División, he made his senior debut on 31 August of that year, coming on as a half-time substitute in a 1–2 away loss against CD Buzanada.

Mendes scored his first senior goal on 7 September 2019, netting the last in a 3–0 home success over EMF Atlético Unión Güímar.[3] In December, he also started to feature for the reserves in Segunda División B.[4]

Mendes made his first team debut with the Amarillos on 13 June 2020, replacing Juanjo Narváez late into a 0–0 Segunda División home draw against Girona FC;[5] aged 19 years and 188 days, he became the third-youngest debutant of the club's history who was born in the isle of Lanzarote, only behind Sito and Antonio Betancort's debuts.[6]

Mendes scored his first professional goal on 20 September 2020, netting a last-minute equalizer in a 3–3 home draw against CF Fuenlabrada.[7] On 25 January 2022, after being rarely used, he was loaned to Primera División RFEF side CF Rayo Majadahonda for the remainder of the campaign.[8]

On 3 August 2022, Mendes moved to fellow third division side UD Logroñés on loan for one year.[9] On 19 July of the following year, he moved to UE Cornellà in the same tier on a permanent deal.[10]

International career

Born in Spain, Mendes is of Bissau-Guinean descent.[11] He represented the latter's under-18s for the 2019 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations qualification, scoring a goal on his debut.[12]

Personal life

Mendes' twin brother Leo is also a footballer. A goalkeeper, both finished their formation at Orientación before moving to different teams.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "El lanzaroteño Clau Mendes debuta con la UD Las Palmas" [The lanzaroteño Clau Mendes debuts with UD Las Palmas] (in Spanish). Lancelot Digital. 13 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  2. ↑ "Clau Mendes, el 7º jugador nacido en Lanzarote que juega con Las Palmas" [Clau Mendes, the 7th Lanzarote-born player who plays with Las Palmas] (in Spanish). Lanzarote Deportiva. 14 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  3. ↑ "3–0: Las Palmas C acaba con la pesadilla del gol" [3–0: Las Palmas C end their goal nightmare] (in Spanish). Tinta Amarilla. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  4. ↑ "El récord meteórico de Claudio Mendes" [The meteoric record of Claudio Mendes] (in Spanish). Tinta Amarilla. 14 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "Las Palmas-Girona, un partido sin público y sin fútbol" [Las Palmas-Girona, a match without attendance and without football] (in Spanish). Marca. 13 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  6. ↑ "Claudio Mendes, el nuevo testigo de Lanzarote" [Claudio Mendes, the new token of Lanzarote] (in Spanish). Tinta Amarilla. 13 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "Kante y Clau Mendes exprimen un partido de locura" [Kante and Clau Mendes squeeze a crazy match] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  8. ↑ "Clau Mendes, cedido al Rayo Majadahonda" [Clau Mendes, loaned to Rayo Majadahonda] (in Spanish). UD Las Palmas. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  9. ↑ "Clau Mendes, cedido a la UD Logroñés" [Clau Mendes, loaned to UD Logroñés] (in Spanish). UD Las Palmas. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "Bienvenido, Clau Mendes" [Welcome, Clau Mendes] (in Spanish). UE Cornellà. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  11. ↑ "Clau Mendes, la última perla del fútbol amarillo desde... Lanzarote" [Clau Mendes, the latest pearl of amarillo football from... Lanzarote] (in Spanish). Marca. 24 May 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "Goal of Claudio Mendes!". Retrieved 13 June 2020 – via mycujoo.tv.
  13. ↑ "Claudio y Leo: un calco" [Claudio and Leo: an image] (in Spanish). Tinta Amarilla. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
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