Vitinha: "Seeing Nuno on the pitch again is incredible"
With Nuno Mendes having stepped back onto the Parc des Princes pitch yesterday (Matchday 23 of Ligue 1) after a ten-month spell on the sidelines, we take a look back at what was a lovely moment.
His previous game dated all the way back to 30th April 2023, against Lorient. One injury, one operation and one period of rehabilitation later, though, Nuno Mendes has now completed his long but invaluable journey back to fitness. From the treatment table to Campus PSG's training pitches, the defender has returned to form, to football and to a team whose appearance has certainly changed over the last ten months – all that was left for him to do was to get a taste for competitive action again.
It was against Rennes yesterday that Luis Enrique decided to bring the Portugal international back onto the Parc des Princes pitch for the ultimate test: playing a football game again. Encouraged by the coach, cheered on by the fans and supported by his teammates, the no. 25 enjoyed the privilege of coming on in the 71st minute of the game and savouring Gonçalo Ramos's late equaliser from the pitch itself.
It was 26 minutes of happiness for Mendes, as he admitted to PSG TV after the game: "I'm really happy and feeling good. When I came on, I heard the fans singing my name, which I was buzzing about! Today was the day, and I'm happy."
That happiness didn't escape Vitinha, either, his teammate for both club and country: "Seeing Nuno on the pitch again is incredible. I'm really happy for him. I can imagine how difficult it must have been to be out of action for such a long time. We've been with him every day, but you always go through that kind of problem alone, so we're all really happy to see Nuno back now, and we hope that he'll come back strong."
Luis Enrique: "Nuno's return is the best bit of news of the evening"
Finally, the aforementioned Enrique didn't pass up the opportunity to show his delight at the left-back's return to the Paris squad: "Nuno's return is the best bit of news of the evening, regardless of the match, because after so many months out, he's now back on the pitch. He was smiling and really happy, but he's still quite a way off top form. We need to gradually give him minutes and confidence because when you've been injured for so many months, it's not just a physical issue – he's perfect physically – but also a mental issue, a confidence issue. We're delighted that he's back in the team, though; it's excellent news."
