Reuben Mendes
Mendes is well known to the squad having played with several of the Expats players whilst residing in Kraków. The versatile Portugal national had been training with the Dragoons and impressed in a recent trial match.
Ruben brings a wealth of experience to the side and will add strong competition for a starting berth.
His passion for football started at a young age. His step-father played amateur football and dreamed of watching Ruben play football professionally. Born in Lisbon, Mendes joined SCLV (Sporting Club Linda-a-Velha), a satellite club of Sporting Lisbon.
A promising striker, Ruben had a love for goalscoring and earnt the nickname of former FC Porto goal machine, Jardel.
In 2003, Mendes helped his side win the first regional division at under 15 level in Lisbon and a year later joined Domingos de Sávio. Fun fact: Portuguese winger Ricardo Quaresma started his youth career at Domingos in 1991 before joining the famed academy of Sporting CP in 1994.
Following a job opportunity arising in Kraków in 2012, Ruben moved to Poland and fell in love with the city. He restarted his footballing journey in both the Kraków Sunday League and in various 6/7-a-side leagues.
Motivated by the Dragoons team-spirit and by playing the 11-a-side game once again, Mendes is looking forward to returning from injury to play for the Dragoons.
Ruben is a huge fan of 30-time Portuguese Primeira Liga outfit FC Porto and is proud to represent another club with a Dragon as its symbol. His idols growing up were the aforementioned Brazilian Jardel, the magical Deco and of course the one and only CR7.
Portugal