Vitor Mendes

Belém, 1999 to Santos, 2016: the move that starts most Brazilian defenders' files was only the first of nine club changes for Vitor Mendes. He turned professional at Santos in August 2017, but it was Atlético Mineiro who bought him outright in December 2019, converting a loan into a permanent deal for 400,000 reais. What followed was a run of loans that scattered him across Brazilian football — Guarani, Boia Esporte, Figueirense, then two spells at Juventude either side of a brief Mineiro return that yielded a Supercopa do Brasil and a Campeonato Mineiro title.

The high point came at Fluminense, where a January 2023 loan put him inside a Copa Libertadores winning campaign. Mendes scored against Sporting Cristal during that run and picked up a winner's medal after featuring in three matches of the competition. Months later, the same year turned into the low point of his career: he was named in the "Operação Penalidade Máxima" betting-manipulation case and suspended by Brazil's sports court, the STJD, which handed him a 720-day ban and a fine.

Ferroviária gave him a route back, signing him in July 2025 for a short spell in the Série B before Cuiabá took him on as a free agent at the turn of the year, handing him the number 4 shirt. He has since become a regular in the side, appearing in 15 Série B matches and one Copa do Brasil tie in 2026.