Jorge Mendonça (footballer, born 1938)

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Jorge Mendonça

| image =

| fullname = Jorge Alberto Mendonça Paulino

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1938|9|19|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Luanda, Portuguese Angola

| height = {{convert|1.84|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}

| position = Striker

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| youthyears1 = 1955–1956

| youthclubs1 = Sporting CP

| years1 = 1956–1958

| years2 = 1958

| years3 = 1958–1967

| years4 = 1967–1969

| years5 = 1969–1970

| clubs1 = Braga

| clubs2 = Deportivo La Coruña

| clubs3 = Atlético Madrid

| clubs4 = Barcelona

| clubs5 = Mallorca

| caps1 = 24

| caps2 = 5

| caps3 = 167

| caps4 = 33

| caps5 = 5

| totalcaps = 234

| goals1 = 15

| goals2 = 1

| goals3 = 59

| goals4 = 9

| goals5 = 1

| totalgoals = 85

| nationalyears1 =

| nationalteam1 =

| nationalcaps1 =

| nationalgoals1 =

| club-update =

}}

Jorge Alberto Mendonça Paulino (born 19 September 1938), known as Mendonça, is a Portuguese-Angolan former footballer who played as a striker.

Having spent the vast majority of his career in Spain, he amassed La Liga totals of 205 matches and 69 goals over the course of 12 seasons, almost all with Atlético Madrid, with which he won five major titles.

Club career

Born in Luanda, Portuguese Angola, Mendonça started his career with S.C. Braga. In early 1958, the 19-year-old moved to Spain where he would remain for the rest of his playing days, representing Deportivo de La Coruña for a couple of months then signing for Atlético Madrid. He made his debut for the latter club on 14 September in a 2–0 home win against Real Oviedo, scoring the last goal;[http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1958/09/15/pagina-4/640576/pdf.html At. Madrid, 2 – Oviedo, 0]; Mundo Deportivo, 15 September 1958 (in Spanish) three days later he was one four players netting braces in an 8–0 trouncing of Drumcondra F.C. for the season's European Cup.[http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1958/09/18/pagina-3/640591/pdf.html At. Madrid, 8 – Drumcondra, 0]; Mundo Deportivo, 18 September 1958 (in Spanish)[http://hemeroteca-paginas.mundodeportivo.com/EMD02/PUB/2004/12/22/EMD20041222012MDA.pdf Técnica y magia angoleña (Skills and magic from Angola)]; Mundo Deportivo, 22 December 2004 (in Spanish)

During his nine-year spell at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, Mendonça would never appear in more than 25 La Liga matches, but was a solid attacking contributor as the Colchoneros won three Copa del Rey trophies and the 1962 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, with the player scoring in the final's replay, a 3–0 victory over ACF Fiorentina.[http://www.abc.es/20120905/deportes-futbol/abci-atletico-madrid-efemerida-recopa-201209050925.html El Atlético cumple medio siglo como campeón de Europa (Atlético celebrate half century as European champions)]; ABC, 5 September 2012 (in Spanish) He left with competitive totals of 235 games and 91 goals, retiring in June 1970 after unassuming top-flight spells with FC Barcelona (two seasons) and RCD Mallorca (one, team relegation).[https://observador.pt/2019/06/26/futre-e-mais-15-os-outros-portugueses-que-passaram-pelo-atl-madrid-antes-de-joao-felix-entre-flops-e-figuras-de-proa/ Futre e mais 15: os outros portugueses que passaram pelo Atl. Madrid antes de João Félix, entre flops e figuras de proa (Futre and 15 others: the other Portuguese who had spells in Atl. Madrid before João Félix, from flops to figureheads)]; Observador, 26 June 2019 (in Portuguese)

Personal life

Mendonça converted to Jehovah's Witnesses in the late 1960s. FC Barcelona president Narcís de Carreras found this intolerable and ordered manager Salvador Artigas not to field him. As a result, Mendonça was transferred to RCD Mallorca.{{Cite web |last=Relaño |first=Alfredo |date=October 7, 2021 |title=Jorge Mendonça, el delantero testigo de Jehová |url=https://as.com/opinion/2021/10/07/blogs/1633594386_490997.html |access-date=February 14, 2024 |website=Diario AS |language=es}}