Sebastián Méndez

Sebastián Ariel Méndez Pardiñas (born 4 July 1977) is an Argentine retired footballer who played as a central defender, and is a manager.

Not to be confused with Jhegson Méndez.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Méndez and the second or maternal family name is Pardiñas.

Sebastián Méndez
Personal information
Full name Sebastián Ariel Méndez Pardiñas
Date of birth (1977-07-04) 4 July 1977
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Youth career
Vélez Sarsfield
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–2002 Vélez Sarsfield 177 (3)
2002–2006 Celta 57 (0)
2006–2009 San Lorenzo 60 (2)
2009 Banfield 19 (0)
Total 313 (5)
National team
1999 Argentina 2 (0)
Teams managed
2010 San Lorenzo (caretaker)
2011 Banfield
2013–2014 Atlanta
2014 Platense
2015 Gimnasia Jujuy
2016–2017 Godoy Cruz
2017 Belgrano
2018 Palestino
2019 Cúcuta Deportivo
2019–2020 Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) (assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

As a player, he won the Argentine Primera División with all three clubs he represented in his country, and also spent five seasons in Spain.

Playing career

A native of Buenos Aires, Méndez started his career with Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield. He made his debut in the Primera División on 24 July 1994 against Deportivo Español, aged only 17. During his tenure the club had the most sustained period of success in its history, collecting three leagues and other five international tournaments, with the player being an undisputed starter during his last six years.

In January 2002, Méndez moved to Spain to play for RC Celta de Vigo of La Liga, during the Galician team's heyday. He started rarely in his four-and-a-half-year spell (a maximum of 16 games in the 2004–05 season, with the side in Segunda División), but did amass 69 competitive appearances.[1]

Méndez returned to his country in 2006, signing with San Lorenzo de Almagro and helping it to the following year's Clausura tournament to conquer his fourth league title. He took part in only a few matches during 2008, however, mostly because of constant injuries and ejections.

Méndez was transferred to Club Atlético Banfield for the 2009–10 campaign, and was a key member of the squad that won the 2009 Apertura, appearing in all 19 games. On 13 December 2009, the club celebrated its first-ever Argentine top flight accolade but, shortly after, he announced his retirement from football at the age of 32.[2]

Coaching career

On 4 April 2010, Méndez returned to San Lorenzo now as a caretaker manager, following Diego Simeone's dismissal. On 21 December he landed his first full-time job, in another of his former clubs, Banfield, where he replaced Julio César Falcioni.[3]

From late 2019 to November 2020, Méndez was Diego Maradona's assistant coach in Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata and acted as head coach in the matches Maradona could not attend. Following Maradona's death on 25 November 2020, he became Gimnasia caretaker manager but resigned on the next day.

Honours

Vélez

San Lorenzo

Banfield

References
  1. "Sebastián Méndez" (in Spanish). Yo Jugué en el Celta. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  2. "El central Méndez anuncia su retirada tras ganar el Apertura con el Banfield" [Centre-back Méndez announces retirement after winning Apertura with Banfield] (in Spanish). Deportes Orange. 14 December 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  3. "Sebastián Méndez será el nuevo entrenador de Banfield" [Sebastián Méndez will be Banfield's new coach] (in Spanish). Cancha Llena. 21 December 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
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