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Nuno Mendes recollects getting goosebumps after hearing the Champions League anthem for the first time
Paris Saint-Germain’s defender Nuno Mendes has spoken about his journey in the UEFA Champions League, from fan to player and significant contender with the French giants.
Mendes in awe of the UEFA Champions League
The 20-year-old left-back has been with PSG for two seasons now, and in that time has played 13 times in Europe’s top club competition, but still fondly remembers his first-ever appearance in the UCL after many years of being a fan of the competition.
Speaking ahead of PSG’s UCL Round of 16 second-leg fixture against Bayern Munich, Mendes has talked with OneFootball, and recalled what makes the competition so special to him.
He said, “The Champions League has a different atmosphere from the [domestic] championship, from the cup. There’s a lot of pressure. And I don’t know how to explain it, but when I heard the anthem for the first time, I got goosebumps.”
He also spoke about his feelings during his UCL debut and how more established members of the PSG dressing room helped him manage his nerves in the biggest game of his career at the time.
“It was Brugge. It was a very important day for me. I was very, very happy to have participated in my first game. Nervous, of course. It’s normal.
“They [PSG teammates] gave me a lot of confidence and talked to me to keep me calm,” Mendes continued.
Mendes hopes to continue UCL journey with PSG
Since his debut against Brugge, Mendes has played 12 more games in the UCL with PSG and scored his first goal in the competition with a winner in the last group stage fixture of the 2022/23 season against Juventus.
Mendes has featured five times this season in the UCL with PSG and was in the team when Les Rouge-et-Bleu suffered a defeat against Bayern Munich at the Parc de Prince in their round-of-16 first-leg fixture.
After battling fitness issues recently, he will also be in the team as PSG look to over turn that deficit at the Allianz Arena in Germany.
Mendes, who has been in good form for PSG with seven goal contributions in 25 games from left-back, will be looking to deliver another top-notch performance for PSG as they battle Bayern Munich for a place in the UCL quarterfinals.
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