Raised in Portugal, he played three Primeira Liga games for Beira-Mar, and 30 in the second tier for Atlético CP and Académico Viseu, while spending most of his career in the third division.
Born in Bissau, and raised in Quinta da Princesa, Seixal, Mendes began his career in Portugal's lower leagues with Amora F.C.
[5] He left two years later at the end of his contract, having turned down a deal to carry on after relegation for the sake of his international prospects.
[6] Mendes made his international debut for Guinea-Bissau on 16 November 2010 in a 2–1 friendly loss to Cape Verde at the Estádio do Restelo in Lisbon.
He was called up for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and the 2019 edition in Egypt, and played all three games of both group-stage eliminations,[7][8] as well as being picked for the 2021 tournament.