Brazilian footballer
Wendell
Full name
Wendell Nascimento Borges Date of birth
(1993-07-20 ) 20 July 1993 (age 31) [ 1] Place of birth
Fortaleza , Brazil[ 1] Height
1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[ 2] Position(s)
Left-back Current team
Porto Number
18 0000 –2011
Iraty Years
Team
Apps
(Gls ) 2011
Iraty
11
(0) 2012–2013
Londrina
40
(3) 2012
→ Paraná (loan)
15
(0) 2013–2014
Grêmio
24
(1) 2014–2021
Bayer Leverkusen
186
(7) 2021–
Porto
70
(6) 2014
Brazil U20
4
(0) 2014–2016
Brazil U23
8
(0) 2024–
Brazil
6
(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:21, 18 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 September 2024
Wendell Nascimento Borges (born 20 July 1993),[ 1] commonly known as Wendell , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Primeira Liga club Porto and the Brazil national team .
He began his career with Iraty , Londrina and Paraná of the Campeonato Paranaense and Campeonato Brasileiro Série B before transferring to Grêmio in 2013, where he debuted in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A . In 2014 he signed for Bayer 04 Leverkusen of the German Bundesliga , playing 250 official games over seven years, a club record for a foreigner. He signed for Porto in 2021 for a fee of €4 million.
Club career
Early career
Born in Fortaleza , Ceará , Wendell grew up in Camaçari near Salvador, Bahia .[ 3] At age 14, he began his career at Iraty in Paraná .[ 4] Remaining in the same state, he played for Londrina and Paraná Clube , the latter on loan in 2012 for the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B season .[ 5] During Wendell's time at Londrina, he gained 4 kg in weight to supplement his light frame, and trained to improve his marking. He almost gave up his career after his father suffered a stroke in 2010, but was advised to continue by his mother.[ 3]
In June 2013, having been voted the best of his position in the Campeonato Paranaense , Wendell was loaned to Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Grêmio for the rest of the calendar year.[ 6] He made his top-flight debut on 11 September as a starter in a 2–0 win at Náutico , due to Alex Telles 's injury,[ 7] and totalled nine appearances as the club from Porto Alegre finished runners-up and qualified for the Copa Libertadores .[ 8]
After Telles was sold to Galatasaray , Grêmio signed Wendell to a permanent four-year contract, obtaining 65% of his economic rights.[ 9] On 2 February 2014, he scored his only goal for the club as an equaliser in a 1–1 draw at Juventude in the Campeonato Gaúcho ,[ 3] as his team finished runners-up.
Bayer Leverkusen
On 27 February 2014, Wendell signed a five-year deal at Bayer 04 Leverkusen of the German Bundesliga , effective from July. He had been recommended to make the transfer by his Grêmio teammate Zé Roberto , who had spent several years at the club.[ 10]
He made his debut for the team on 15 August, replacing Sebastian Boenisch for the last 19 minutes of a 6–0 win away to sixth-tier SV Alemannia Waldalgesheim in the first round of the DFB-Pokal .[ 11] His Bundesliga debut came on 21 September, playing the entirety of a 1–4 defeat at VfL Wolfsburg .[ 12] On 13 March 2015 he scored his first goal for the club, opening a 4–0 home win over VfB Stuttgart .[ 13]
In 2016, Wendell extended his contract to 2021.[ 14] With a year remaining of that deal, it was prolonged to 2022.[ 15] He played in the 2020 DFB-Pokal final , being booked after 29 minutes for a foul on Leon Goretzka in a 4–2 loss to double winners FC Bayern Munich .[ 16] He played 250 total games and scored eight goals during his time at the BayArena , surpassing the club record for games by a foreigner held by Romanian Ioan Lupescu with 234.[ 17]
Porto
On 19 August 2021, Wendell signed a four-year contract with Primeira Liga club Porto , for a reported fee of €4 million.[ 18] He made his debut nine days later, replacing Chancel Mbemba in the 86th minute of a 3–0 home win over Arouca .[ 19] On 2 October, Wendell scored his first goal for the Estádio do Dragão side, in a 2–1 home win over Paços de Ferreira .[ 20] He was sent off on 7 December in a UEFA Champions League 2–1 group stage loss at home to Atlético Madrid for an arm in the face of Matheus Cunha , only seven minutes after coming on as a substitute for Zaidu Sanusi .[ 21] He finished his first season with a league and Taça de Portugal double , though he started at left-back less often than the Nigerian.[ 22]
Wendell scored in a 4–0 home win over Vizela to help Porto advance to the knockout stages of the Taça da Liga on 16 December 2022,[ 23] and on 28 January he assisted the opening goal by Stephen Eustáquio in a 2–0 win over Sporting CP in the final at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa .[ 24] On the first day of the 2023–24 Primeira Liga , he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 comeback win away to Moreirense , but was sent off in added time. It was his second consecutive red card, following one in the 2023 Taça de Portugal final victory over Braga ; he missed the 2023 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira as a result of that suspension.[ 25]
On 20 January 2024, Wendell scored twice in a 4–0 home win over Moreirense,[ 26] adding another goal on 3 March in a 5–0 victory against title rivals Benfica in O Clássico . He reflected that the latter match was the best moment of his first 100 games for Porto.[ 27]
International career
Wendell got his first call-up to the senior Brazil side for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Venezuela in October 2016, replacing Marcelo .[ 28] He did not make his debut until 23 March 2024, when he played in a 1–0 friendly win over England at Wembley Stadium .[ 29]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 26 May 2024 [ 30]
International
As of match played 6 September 2024 [ 30]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team
Year
Apps
Goals
Brazil
2024
6
0
Total
6
0
Honours
Londrina
Porto
Brazil U20
Individual
References
^ a b c "Wendell" . Soccerway. Retrieved 24 August 2021 .
^ "Wendell, Wendell Nascimento Borges - Footballer | BDFutbol" . www.bdfutbol.com . Retrieved 25 March 2024 .
^ a b c Rizzatti, Lucas (4 May 2014). "Da peneira ao 1º gol: Wendell supera drama, ouve mãe e orgulha seu bairro" [From open trial to 1st goal: Wendell overcomes drama, listens to ihs mother and makes his neighbourhood proud] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. Retrieved 23 March 2024 .
^ Carlos, António (3 March 2024). "«Sempre acreditei que Wendell poderia ir mais longe pelo potencial técnico que tem»" ["I always believed that Wendell could go further because of the technical potential that he has"]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 March 2024 .
^ "Lateral do Londrina é emprestado para o Paraná Clube" [Londrina full-back is loaned to Paraná Clube] (in Portuguese). Bonde. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2024 .
^ "Grêmio contrata lateral-esquerdo Wendell, promessa do Londrina" [Grêmio sign left-back Wendell, Londrina gem] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte . 6 June 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2024 .
^ "Em estreia 'excelente', Wendell só sente 'frio na barriga' na entrevista" [On 'excellent' debut, Wendell only felt 'butterflies in his stomach' during the interview] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte . 12 September 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2024 .
^ Hammes, Tomás (30 December 2013). "Caçula do Grêmio, Wendell minimiza inexperiência: 'Não quer dizer nada' " [Grêmio's youngest, Wendell plays down inexperience: 'It doesn't mean anything'] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. Retrieved 23 March 2024 .
^ Guichard, Diego (27 December 2013). "Grêmio acerta a compra de Wendell, que firmará contrato por quatro anos" [Grêmio edge closer to signing Wendell, who will sign a four-year contract] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. Retrieved 23 March 2024 .
^ "Wendell a caminho do Leverkusen" [Wendell heading to Leverkusen] (in Portuguese). UEFA . 27 February 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2024 .
^ "Tor-Gala von Kießling - Mainz mit nächster Blamage" [Kießling's goal-fest - Mainz with next disgrace]. Goal.com (in German). 15 August 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2015 .
^ "Match report from Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen" . Sky Sports News . 21 September 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2015 .
^ "Bayer Levkn 4-0 VfB Stuttgart" . BBC Sport . 13 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015 .
^ "Bellarabi, Wendell extend contracts at Leverkusen" . Business Standard . 27 August 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2024 .
^ "Lateral-esquerdo Wendell renova contrato com o Bayer Leverkusen até junho de 2022" [Left-back Wendell renews contract with Bayer Leverkusen until June 2022] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2024 .
^ Da Silva, Michael; Harding, Jonathan (4 July 2020). "German Cup final: Irresistible Bayern secure domestic double" . Deutsche Welle . Retrieved 23 March 2024 .
^ "Wendell deixa o Bayer Leverkusen e é anunciado como reforço do Porto" . Lance! (in Portuguese). 19 August 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2024 .
^ "OFICIAL: Wendell no FC Porto até 2025" [OFFICIAL: Wendell at FC Porto until 2025]. Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 19 August 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2023 .
^ "Lateral Wendell estreia pelo Porto e celebra vitória: "Feliz por ter começado minha história nesse clube" " [Full-back Wendell debuts for Porto and celebrates win: "Happy for having started my story in this club"]. Gazeta Esportiva (in Brazilian Portuguese). 28 August 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2023 .
^ "Wendell estreou-se a marcar pelo FC Porto e logo com este ″tiro″: ora veja" [Wendell scored his first goal for FC Porto with this "shot": watch] (in Portuguese). O Jogo . 2 October 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2023 .
^ Grez, Matias (8 December 2021). "Champions League: Atlético Madrid beats Porto in bad-tempered clash to qualify for last 16" . CNN . Retrieved 11 April 2024 .
^ Aresta, Luís (10 May 2022). "Diogo Boa Alma: "Zaidu respondeu bem a Wendell e à desconfiança dos adeptos" " [Diogo Boa Alma: "Zaidu responded well to Wendell and to the fans' mistrust"] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença . Retrieved 11 April 2024 .
^ Morais, Pedro (16 December 2022). "Wendell: «Depois do jogo com o Mafra pusemos os pés no chão e ouvimos o mister»" [Wendell: "After the game with Mafra we put our feet back on the ground and listened to the manager"]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 11 April 2024 .
^ "F. C. Porto vence Sporting e conquista Taça da Liga pela primeira vez" [F. C. Porto defeat Sporting and conquer the Taça da Liga for the first time]. Jornal de Notícias (in Portuguese). 28 January 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2024 .
^ Roseiro, Bruno (16 December 2023). "FC Porto consegue reviravolta frente ao Moreirense com golos de Toni Martínez e Wendell e entra a ganhar na Liga - como aconteceu" [FC Porto achieve comeback against Moreirense with goals from Toni Martínez and Wendell and start Liga in winning ways - how it happened]. Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 11 April 2024 .
^ "Wendell com noite para recordar no Dragão: assim foi o 'bis' do brasileiro frente ao Moreirense" [Wendell with a night to remember in the Dragão: this was the Brazilian's 'brace' against Moreirense]. Record (in Portuguese). 20 January 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024 .
^ "Wendell recorda goleada ao Benfica: "Sentimos tudo que é o FC Porto" [Wendell remembers thrashing of Benfica: "We felt everything that is FC Porto"]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 11 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024 .
^ "Wendell & Rafael Carioca called up by Tite to Brazil squad" . goal.com. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016 .
^ "VÍDEO: estreia vitoriosa de Wendell pelo Brasil diante da Inglaterra" [=VIDEO: Wendell's victorious debut for Brazil against England] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024 .
^ a b "Wendell career statistics" . Soccerway . Retrieved 21 May 2020 .
^ Marinho Saldanha (5 June 2013). "Grêmio contrata melhor lateral esquerdo do Paranaense, que chega na 5ª" [Grêmio sign Paranaense's best full-back, who arrives on the 5th] (in Portuguese). UOL . Retrieved 4 November 2013 .
^ "CONFIRMED 2017/18 Bundesliga FIFA 18 Team of the Season!" . Bundesliga. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018 .
External links
Media related to Wendell Nascimento Borges at Wikimedia Commons