Full-back Mendes thriving under coach Enrique

He does not grab too many of the headlines among Paris Saint-Germain’s plethora of stars, but Nuno Mendes has been so impressive charging forward down the left wing for the reigning European champions that he can now stake a claim as the world’s top fullback.

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“I see myself as a good fullback but I don’t like to say I am the best,” the 23-year-old Portugal international told AFP in an interview at the club’s training ground just outside the French capital.

Left-back Mendes has scored three goals and set up three more in 11 matches this season, including a goal and an assist in last week’s 7-2 Champions League win at Bayer Leverkusen and a brilliant run to set up Senny Mayulu for the equaliser in the 2-1 defeat of Barcelona in early October.

Perhaps the only other fullback on a level with Mendes now is Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, who occupies the right-back position in Luis Enrique’s PSG side.

“Achraf and I are in good form but it is a team effort, and we all know how quickly things can change in football,” Mendes said of his and his team’s recent success.

PSG won the Champions League for the first time in their history last season and are top of the standings in Europe three games into this campaign.