Sebastián Ariel Méndez Pardiñas (born 4 July 1977) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a central defender.
As a player, Méndez 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.
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 erections.
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.
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.
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.
Managerial statistics
+ Managerial record by team and tenure TeamNatFromToRecordSan Lorenzo4 April 201016 May 2010 Banfield1 January 201128 August 2011Atlanta20 June 2013 31 December 2013Platense1 January 201431 August 2014Gimnasia Jujuy2 January 20159 July 2015Godoy Cruz1 January 201631 December 2016Belgrano3 April 201717 October 2017Palestino20 May 20188 October 2018Cúcuta Deportivo1 January 201930 June 2019Godoy Cruz11 January 202130 August 2021Tijuana21 October 202125 May 2022Unión Santa Fe11 April 202325 June 2023Vélez Sarsfield25 June 20239 December 2023Newell's Old Boys19 June 202415 September 2024Juventud16 October 20255 April 2026 Total
Honours Vélez Argentine Primera División: Apertura 1995, Clausura 1996, Clausura 1998 Copa Libertadores: 1994 Intercontinental Cup: 1994 Copa Interamericana: 1996 Supercopa Sudamericana: 1996 Recopa Sudamericana: 1997
San Lorenzo Argentine Primera División: Clausura 2007
Banfield Argentine Primera División: Apertura 2009
References
External links