Fernando Mendes
Encyclopedia
Fernando Mamede Mendes is a retired Portuguese
football midfielder
and manager
.
club.
He played for six years with the Portuguese national team
, but did not attend any major international tournament: on 25 April 1965, he broke his leg
in the early minutes of the away fixture against Czechoslovakia
for the 1966 FIFA World Cup
qualification
, as the national team eventually won it 1–0 thanks to Eusébio
, with ten players (no substitutions were allowed then).
Mendes never fully recovered from that situation, and retired three years later, at only 30. In 11 league matches over the course of two separate seasons, he served as interim coach at his only club (the last in late 2000-early 2001), winning four, drawing four and losing three.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
football midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
.
Football career
During his entire professional career, which lasted 13 seasons (1955–68), Mendes played solely for Sporting Clube de Portugal, also starting and finishing his football formation at the LisbonLisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
club.
He played for six years with the Portuguese national team
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
, but did not attend any major international tournament: on 25 April 1965, he broke his leg
Human leg
The human leg is the entire lower extremity or limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh and even the hip or gluteal region; however, the precise definition in human anatomy refers only to the section of the lower limb extending from the knee to the ankle.Legs are used for standing,...
in the early minutes of the away fixture against Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
for the 1966 FIFA World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
qualification
1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The 32 teams were divided into 9 groups of 3 or 4 teams each . The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis...
, as the national team eventually won it 1–0 thanks to Eusébio
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
, with ten players (no substitutions were allowed then).
Mendes never fully recovered from that situation, and retired three years later, at only 30. In 11 league matches over the course of two separate seasons, he served as interim coach at his only club (the last in late 2000-early 2001), winning four, drawing four and losing three.