André Filipe da Silva Mendes was born in Paraná, Brazil and moved to Leiria, Portugal at the age of six.[1]
Career
Mendes spent two years with the Benfica academy as a 13-year-old, before moving to England.[2] He joined the academy at Morecambe in December 2019.[2] He achieved his Level Two coaching award in early 2021.[2] He fractured the scaphoid bone in his hand in a training ground injury sustained towards the end of the 2020–21 season and was ruled out until the end of October.[3] He signed his first professional contract in May 2021.[1] He made his first-team debut on 9 November 2021, when he was named as man of the match during a 2–0 defeat to Carlisle United in an EFL Trophy game at the Globe Arena; he had been called into the team following an injury sustained by Kyle Letheren in the warm-up.[4] Manager Stephen Robinson said that "Barry Roche has high hopes for him and he proved that on the night".[5]
On 2 September 2022, he joined Northern Premier League Division One West club Colne on a one-month loan deal.[6] The loan was later extended until the end of the calendar year.[7]