Méndez began his career with Universidad de Concepción, signing a professional contract with the club at the age of eighteen.
[1] Despite showing promise at an early age, he was sent by then-manager Jorge Pellicer on loan to Tercera A side Iberia in 2009 - a move Méndez suggested may have simply been a mistake in a 2023 interview with Diario AS.
[2] After suffering a meniscus tear, he struggled to get game-time, and with his contract at Universidad de Concepción set to expire, he decided to retire.
[2][4] After his spell with Fernández Vial, he began to drink alcohol more frequently, and in a 2018 interview with El Mercurio, he stated that this led to him crashing his car a number of times.
[1] His local side, Chiguayante Sur, offered him a position on the team, as well as helping him get a job as a driver for a construction company.