Nacho Méndez

Nacho Méndez
Personal information
Full name Ignacio Méndez-Navia Fernández
Date of birth (1998-03-30) 30 March 1998
Place of birth Luanco, Spain
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Johor Darul Ta'zim
Number 28
Youth career
Roces
2010–2016 Sporting Gijón
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2018 Sporting B 23 (1)
2017–2025 Sporting Gijón 205 (15)
2025– Johor Darul Ta'zim 18 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 27 February 2026

Ignacio "Nacho" Méndez-Navia Fernández (born 30 March 1998) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Malaysia Super League club Johor Darul Ta'zim.

Club career

Sporting Gijón

Born in Luanco, Asturias, Méndez joined Sporting de Gijón's youth setup in 2010, from TSK Roces. He made his senior debut with the reserves on 21 August 2016, coming on as a second-half substitute and scoring his team's sixth in a 7–0 Tercera División home routing of UC Ceares.[2]

On 26 April 2017, Méndez renewed his contract until 2019.[3] After spending the whole 2017 pre-season with the first team, he made his professional debut on 27 August by starting in a 2–0 home win against CD Lugo in the Segunda División.[4]

Méndez scored his first professional goal on 6 September 2017, netting the game's only in an away success over CF Reus Deportiu, in the season's Copa del Rey.[5] On 22 December, he extended his contract until 2021, being definitely promoted to the main squad ahead of the following season.[6]

On 8 October 2020, Méndez further extended his link with Sporting until 2025.[7]

Johor Darul Ta'zim

On 9 July 2025, Méndez joined Johor Darul Ta'zim on a free transfer to compete in the 2025–26 Malaysia Super League.[8] He was the fourth foreign-born player with reported Malaysian ancestry signed by the club during the transfer window, after Héctor Hevel, Jon Irazábal and João Figueiredo.[9] He was registered in the league as a local player rather than as one of the club's foreign imports.[10]

Personal life

In July 2025, the Malaysian broadcaster Astro Awani reported that Méndez had Malaysian ancestry through a grandfather said to have been born in Penang, and that he was completing documentation to become eligible for the Malaysia national football team.[11] The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) denied that any naturalisation process involving him was under way and described the reports as speculation.[12]

In September 2025, FIFA sanctioned the FAM and seven foreign-born players who had been fielded by Malaysia on the basis of claimed ancestry. The seven included Méndez's Johor Darul Ta'zim teammates Hevel, Irazábal and Figueiredo.[9] FIFA found that forged or falsified documents concerning the players' grandparents had been used in their eligibility submissions.[13] The FIFA Appeal Committee upheld the decision in November 2025,[14] and the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in March 2026 that the falsification of eligibility documents had been established.[15]

Méndez was not among the players sanctioned but was repeatedly left out of Malaysia squads. Malaysia head coach Peter Cklamovski said in August 2025 that Méndez faced a "physical and medical situation" and needed time to recover fully.[16] After a further omission in November 2025, sections of the Malaysian press questioned his status as a heritage player.[17] In March 2026, Cklamovski said an injury sustained with his club had ruled Méndez out of a 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifier.[18] As of July 2026, he has not played for Malaysia.

Career statistics

As of match played 4 November 2023[19][20]
Club statistics
Club Season League National Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sporting Gijón B 2017–18 Segunda División B 190—4[a]1231
Sporting Gijón 2017–18 Segunda División 11021—131
2018–19 Segunda División 31250—362
2019–20 Segunda División 28310—293
2020–21 Segunda División 23010—240
2021–22 Segunda División 29141—332
2022–23 Segunda División 3000—30
2023–24 Segunda División 14100—141
Total 1397132001529
Career totals 15871324117510

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Nacho Méndez" (in Spanish). Sporting de Gijón. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  2. ↑ "El Sporting B golea al Ceares en su estreno liguero" [Sporting B thrash Ceares in their league debut] (in Spanish). El Comercio. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "Nacho Méndez rubrica su acuerdo de continuidad con el Real Sporting" [Nacho Méndez signs his agreement of continuity with Real Sporting] (in Spanish). Sporting Gijón. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "Al Sporting le bastan 15 minutos para acabar con el Lugo" [Sporting only need 15 minutes to finish off Lugo] (in Spanish). Marca. 27 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "Nacho Méndez da el pase al Sporting ante un Reus que falló dos penaltis" [Nacho Méndez gives pass to Sporting against a Reus which failed two penalties] (in Spanish). Marca. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "Nacho Méndez amplía su contrato hasta junio de 2021" [Nacho Méndez extends his contract until June 2021] (in Spanish). Sporting Gijón. 22 December 2017. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  7. ↑ "El Sporting renueva a Nacho Méndez hasta 2025" [Sporting renew Nacho Méndez until 2025] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  8. ↑ "JDT line-up in the Super League season 2025/2026". FAM-CMS. 12 August 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Football: JDT snap up Nacho Mendez as fourth heritage player". The Star. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Nacho Mendez Keturunan Malaysia, Ini Cerita Susur-Galurnya" [Nacho Mendez of Malaysian descent, this is the story of his lineage] (in Malay). Makan Bola. 16 August 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Pemain tengah Sporting Gijon dalam proses dokumentasi akhir wakili Harimau Malaya" [Sporting Gijón midfielder in final documentation process to represent Harimau Malaya] (in Malay). Astro Awani. 7 July 2025.
  12. ↑ "FAM dismisses talk of Nacho Mendez joining Harimau Malaya". Scoop. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "FIFA sanctions Football Association of Malaysia and seven players". FIFA. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Fifa upholds sanctions on FAM, seven players over forged documents". Malay Mail. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "CAS Media Release: Football – Malaysia" (PDF). Court of Arbitration for Sport. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "Ada sebab nama Mendez, Machuca tercicir" [There is a reason Mendez and Machuca were left out] (in Malay). Sinar Harian. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "Sekali lagi tak dapat panggilan Harimau Malaya, status pemain warisan Nacho Mendez mula dicurigai" [Once again left out of the Harimau Malaya call-up, heritage player Nacho Méndez's status begins to be doubted] (in Malay). Majoriti. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "Mendez cedera, Bergson akan dipanggil selepas ini – Cklamovski" [Mendez injured, Bergson to be called up after this – Cklamovski] (in Malay). Kosmo!. 23 March 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  19. ↑ Nacho Méndez at Soccerway
  20. ↑ "Nacho Méndez Statistics". bdfutbol.com. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  21. ↑ "Instagram".
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