Édison Méndez

Édison Méndez
Méndez playing for PSV Eindhoven in 2007
Personal information
Full name Édison Vicente Méndez Méndez[1]
Date of birth (1979-03-16) 16 March 1979
Place of birth Ibarra, Ecuador
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Positions
Youth career
1996–2001 Deportivo Quito
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2002 Deportivo Quito 193 (18)
2002–2003 El Nacional 34 (3)
2004 Irapuato 16 (5)
2004 Santos Laguna 14 (2)
2005–2007 LDU Quito 60 (6)
2006–2007 → PSV Eindhoven (loan) 26 (5)
2007–2009 PSV Eindhoven 46 (4)
2009–2010 LDU Quito 23 (6)
2010 Atlético Mineiro 9 (0)
2011 Emelec 35 (5)
2012–2013 LDU Quito 47 (6)
2014 Santa Fe 10 (0)
2015 El Nacional 22 (4)
Total 535 (64)
International career
2000–2014 Ecuador 111 (18)
Managerial career
2020 El Nacional (assistant)
2020 El Nacional
2022–2023 LDU Quito (youth)
2022 LDU Quito (caretaker)
2023–2024 La Unión
2025 11 de Mayo
2025 Leones (assistant)
2026 Leones
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Édison Vicente Méndez Méndez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈeðisom ˈmendes]; born 16 March 1979) is an Ecuadorian football coach and former player who played as either a winger, second striker or attacking midfielder.

Méndez is a former Ecuador international and is the third-most capped player for his country.

Club career

Deportivo Quito

Méndez began his career with Sociedad Deportivo Quito of his native Ecuador. After his 2002 FIFA World Cup performances, during which he scored the winning goal in Ecuador's 1–0 win over Croatia, he was rumored to have attracted interest from English clubs, notably Aston Villa and Everton.[3]

Short spells in Ecuador and Mexico

He transferred to Club Irapuato of the Primera División de México for the latter part of the 2004 season, starting 16 games and scoring 5 goals during the remainder of that season. Following Irapuato's relegation the following year, Méndez moved to Santos Laguna, where he struggled to find a place, in 14 games, and scoring 2 goals.

He returned to Ecuador, and was part of the LDU Quito team who won the Ecuadorian Apertura season in 2005.

PSV Eindhoven

Méndez training with PSV Eindhoven in 2008

In 2006, shortly after the World Cup, there was speculation of a move to the Bundesliga, more specifically Hannover 96.[4] He ended all rumours in August 2006 by signing a one-season loan deal with PSV Eindhoven, which was followed by a contract for three and a half years which would tie him to the Philips Stadion outfit until 2010. He made his debut in the Eredivisie against Willem II, and marked his stamp in his new club by scoring two goals for a 3–1 win. The following week he became the first Ecuadorian to play in the UEFA Champions League and made his debut against Liverpool He was voted Man of the Match in the game.[5]

In March 2007, he became the first Ecuadorian to score in the UEFA Champions League by getting the only goal in the round of 16 match against Arsenal.[6] Mendez, along with fellow midfielders Timmy Simons and veteran Philip Cocu helped PSV reach the quarterfinals.

Mendez's reputation was enhanced when he was among 50 players nominated for the Ballon d'Or-award for the best players in Europe.[7] In Winter 2007, rumors stated that Mendez wanted a move back to Ecuador.[8]

Return to Ecuador

On 4 August 2009, Mendez returned to Ecuador for personal reasons to play for his former team LDU Quito. However, there is speculation that he could return to the club for the 2012 season.[9]

Going to Brazil

In March, Brazilian club Clube Atlético Mineiro announced Méndez as its new player. The Ecuadorian midfielder started defending his new team after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[10]

Independiente Santa Fe

On 11 December 2013, it was confirmed that Mendez would join Colombian side Santa Fe.[11]

Return to El Nacional

On 7 January 2015, it was confirmed that would Méndez return to Ecuador to play for El Nacional.[12]

International career

Youth

Méndez participated at the South American U-20 Championship in Paraguay in 1999, and Olympic qualifying tournament in Brazil in January 2000. Two months later, he was called up to the full squad and made his debut in a 3–1 defeat against Honduras in Quito.

Senior

Méndez before a friendly match against Colombia in 2007

Méndez played in all three games of Ecuador's 2002 World Cup campaign, scoring the only goal in their final group stage match against Croatia to earn the country a first-ever win at a FIFA World Cup. The victory against Croatia came as a surprise, eliminating the side and sealing Méndez's reputation as a star.[13] Aged just 23, he was seen by many to be the promise of Ecuadorian football and gained interest from many clubs.[14]

Méndez scored five goals during 2006 World Cup qualification, including a dazzling double from long range against Paraguay in 2005, helping Ecuador to a 5–2 win in Quito on the way to ultimately securing a spot at the final tournament in Germany.

Méndez again played throughout his team's historic 2006 World Cup campaign, which culminated in a 1–0 defeat to England in the round of 16. He was credited with two assists across the tournament.

Méndez then played for Ecuador at the 2007 Copa América, scoring a consolation goal against Mexico in a 2–1 loss as his side were eliminated in the group stage. On 26 February 2008, Mendez announced his retirement from the national team, to the surprise of most Ecuadorians and the Latin American world.[15] He stated that one of the reasons for his early retirement was dissatisfaction with newly appointed Ecuador coach Sixto Vizuete. However, on 12 May 2008, Méndez announced his return to the national team,[16] after a meeting with Vizuete and the FEF president, Luis Chiriboga, in which they reportedly solved the differences and misunderstandings the parties had.[17]

Méndez was part of Ecuador's squad at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but only played in the final eight minutes of his side's second match against Honduras; this made him the first Ecuadorian to feature at three different FIFA World Cup tournaments.[18] On 30 June 2014, following Ecuador's elimination, Méndez announced his retirement from the national team, ending with a total of 111 caps and 18 goals across a span of fourteen years for his country.[19]

Playing style

He is known for his pace, accurate passing and long range shooting. He is also known as a dead-ball specialist, and generally takes free kicks and corners for his country and club. While he is right-footed, he can play on either wing as well as in the middle.

Personal life

Méndez was born in Ibarra.

His nephew is fellow professional footballer and Ecuadorean international player Sebas Méndez.[20]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Deportivo Quito 1997 Ecuadorian Serie A 271–271
1998 281–60341
1999 390–390
2000 312–312
2001 354–354
2002 3310–3310
Total 19318006019918
El Nacional 2003 Ecuadorian Serie A 343–60403
Deportivo Irapuato 2003–04 Mexican Primera División 165–165
Santos Laguna 2004–05 Mexican Primera División 142–142
LDU Quito 2005 Ecuadorian Serie A 424–143567
2006 182–103285
Total 606002468412
PSV 2006–07 Eredivisie 2650091356
2007–08 2011060271
2008–09 2631060333
Total 729202119510
LDU Quito 2009 Ecuadorian Serie A 80–107187
2010 156–00156
Total 236001073313
Atlético Mineiro 2010 Série A 9030120
Emelec 2011 Ecuadorian Serie A 355–30385
LDU Quito 2012 Ecuadorian Serie A 191–191
2013 285–00285
Total 4760000476
Santa Fe 2014 Categoría Primera A 1000081181
El Nacional 2015 Ecuadorian Serie A 224–224
Career total 5356420811561879

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[21][22]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Ecuador 200040
2001132
2002131
2003101
2004113
200583
200690
2007123
200831
200981
201000
2011132
201210
201320
201441
Total11118
Scores and results list Ecuador's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Méndez goal.[21][22]
List of international goals scored by Édison Méndez
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
12 June 2001Estadio Monumental "U", Lima, Peru Peru1–12–12002 FIFA World Cup qualification
217 July 2001Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia Venezuela3–04–02001 Copa América
313 June 2002International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan Croatia1–01–02002 FIFA World Cup
415 November 2003Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay Paraguay1–11–22006 FIFA World Cup qualification
510 March 2004Estadio Víctor Manuel Reyna, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico Mexico1–21–2Friendly
610 October 2004Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador Chile2–02–02006 FIFA World Cup qualification
717 November 2004Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador Brazil1–01–02006 FIFA World Cup qualification
827 March 2005Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador Paraguay2–25–22006 FIFA World Cup qualification
93–2
104 May 2005Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, United States Paraguay1–01–0Friendly
111 July 2007Estadio Monumental de Maturín, Maturín, Venezuela Mexico1–21–22007 Copa América
1221 November 2007Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador Peru3–05–12010 FIFA World Cup qualification
135–0
146 September 2008Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador Bolivia2–13–12010 FIFA World Cup qualification
159 September 2009Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia Bolivia1–03–12010 FIFA World Cup qualification
1610 August 2011Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San José, Costa Rica Costa Rica2–02–0Friendly
1715 November 2011Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador Peru1–02–02014 FIFA World Cup qualification
185 March 2014The Den, London, England Australia4–34–3Friendly

Honours

LDU Quito

PSV Eindhoven

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: Ecuador" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
  2. ↑ LDU player card
  3. ↑ "Mendez tipped for move". Sky Sports. 31 July 2002. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  4. ↑ "Mendez wanted by Hannover". Sky Sports. 19 June 2006. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  5. ↑ "Fan's Man of the Match". UEFA. 12 August 2006. Archived from the original on 29 October 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2007.
  6. ↑ "Edison Mendez goal boosts PSV hopes". PSV Eindhoven. 20 February 2007. Archived from the original on 9 September 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
  7. ↑ "Mendez shortlisted for Ballon d'Or". PSV Eindhoven. 17 October 2006. Archived from the original on 9 September 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
  8. ↑ Archived 20 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Archived 7 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ "Edison Mendez deve chegar a Belo Horizonte na próxima semana". GloboEsporte.com. 29 April 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  11. ↑ "Edison Mendez es nuevo jugador de Santa Fe" (in Spanish). Goal.com. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "Ecuagol". Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  13. ↑ "Ecuador end Croatia hopes". BBC Sport. 13 June 2002. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
  14. ↑ Vickery, Tim (28 April 2003). "Ecuador start European quest". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
  15. ↑ "PSV's Méndez quits Ecuador national side". Goal.com. 26 February 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
  16. ↑ "Méndez recapacita para integrar Tricolor". eluniverso.com. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
  17. ↑ "Rebel Mendez recalled to Ecuador squad". ESPNsoccernet. 31 May 2008. Archived from the original on 23 June 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
  18. ↑ Dorrington, Nick (26 June 2014). "Assessment: Positives to take". ESPN. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  19. ↑ YouTube, a Google company. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016.
  20. ↑ "World Cup 2022: complete guide to all 831 players. Everything you need to know (and more) about every squad member in Qatar". The Guardian.
  21. 1 2 "Édison Vicente Méndez - Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  22. 1 2 "Méndez, Édison". National Football Teams. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
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