– Joe Mendes is an AIK-educated player who in 2021 has accumulated senior experience and has now found his home again. He is an exciting full-back with great potential. For most of his youth, he has played higher up the pitch and that is where we find his strengths. Fast, strong, explosive with a scoring right foot. A warm welcome home to Joe Mendes, says the men’s team’s sports director Henrik Jurelius.
– It feels good to sign a contract with the club that I was raised in. I look forward to the season and am ready for the challenge in the Allsvenskan, says Joe Mendes.
18-year-old Josafat “Joe” Mendes, born on Tuesday, December 31, 2002 at Karolinska Hospital in Solna and raised in Hjulsta, started playing football at the age of five in the parent club AFC United. At the age of twelve, he switched to AIK where he started playing with P02A. In 2017 they played in Gothia cups P15 class and after winning group 6 before Varbergs Bois FC (3-1), Mjällby AIF (2-0), Örebro SK (3-1) and Ängelholms FF (5-1) they were defeated BK Häcken (4–3) in the quarterfinals and IFK Göteborg (3–1) in the semifinals. In the final at SKF Arena at Heden in Gothenburg on July 22, 2017, they faced Hammarby IF FF and fell 0-3. His AIK team also played its own tournament Lennart Johansson Academy Trophy in Solna on two occasions.
In 2020, Joe Mendes made his debut in the P19 Allsvenskan and made his debut match for AIK away against IK Frej Täby FK (4-4) at Vikingavallen in Täby on 14 June 2020. Other well-known AIK names in the starting eleven were Eric Kahl, Erik Ring, Yasin Ayari and Adam Ben Lamin. He scored the first goal away against IFK Lidingö FK (6–2) in the third round, which was played on 24 June 2020. There were 14 matches and 14 goals for him with the P19 team. He was also selected in the match squad for the A-team’s training matches at home against IF Karlstad Fotboll (2–1) on 18 January 2020, innings away against Akropolis IF (0–3) on 19 February 2020 and innings away against IFK Norrköping FK (1– 0) on 4 September 2020.
In January 2021, Joe signed for Hammarby TFF Herrfotboll and the competitive debut for them took place away against Umeå FC (0-1) in the series premiere of Ettan Norra at Umeå Energi Arena SOL on April 5, 2021. Joe played the entire match in jersey number 3 under the leadership of head coach Janne Mian. He scored the first goal for Hammarby TFF at home at Hammarby IP on 5 June 2021 when Örebro Syrianska IF (2-3) came to visit. Joe was responsible for the 1-0 goal in the 16th minute of the match. There were 26 league matches, of which 25 from the start, and four goals for Hammarby TFF Herrfotboll when they finished in twelfth place in Ettan Norra and on goal difference hung in the series. They were on their way out of Ettan Norra, but in the 85th minute of the match at home against IF Sylvia (2-1) in the last round, Mostapha El Kabir scored the winning goal that kept them. Joe’s other three goals during the season came at home against IFK Luleå (3–1) on 5 September 2021, at home against Umeå FC (1–0) on 31 October 2021 and away against IF Brommapojkarna (1–2) on 14 November 2021.
On 19 July 2021, Hammarby IF announced that they had signed a two-year contract with Joe Mendes which lasted until 30 June 2023. The debut for Hammarby took place on 22 July 2021 when they hosted NK Maribor in front of 7,250 spectators at home at Tele2 Arena in Stockholm. (3-1) in the second qualifying round of the Uefa Europa Conference League 2021/2022. Joe started on the bench in jersey number 27 and in the 92nd minute of the match, head coach Miloš Milojević decided that he would replace Vladimir Rodić. Joe also played a match in the Swedish Cup 2021/2022 when he was replaced away by Hudiksvalls Förenade FF (3-1) on October 20, 2021. There were also five competitive matches that did not use substitutes on the bench for Hammarby during the summer and autumn.
On December 21, 2021, AIK Football announced that they had agreed with Hammarby IF and Joe Mendes on a transfer and he joins Karlberg when the pre-season starts in January 2022. He will play in jersey number 2.
In April 2018, Christofer Augustsson, the national captain of the Swedish P16 national team, took the squad to a four-nation tournament and Joe Mendes was one of those selected. The national team debut for Sweden took place against Belgium (0-3) at Billund Stadium in Denmark on April 17, 2018 when Joe started the match in jersey number 3 before he was replaced by Robin Tihi before the second half. It has so far been a game in two U17 internationals for him.
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