| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sebastián Ariel Méndez Pardiñas | ||
| Date of birth | January 13, 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back (retired) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2005 | Vélez Sársfield | 207 | (53) |
| 2005–2007 | Roma | 45 | (4) |
| 2007–2008 | Chelsea | 30 | (2) |
| 2009– | Vélez Sársfield | 69 | (18) |
| National team | |||
| 2003– | Argentina | 56 | (11) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2010 | San Lorenzo (caretaker) | ||
| 2011 | Banfield | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Sebastián Ariel Méndez Pardiñas (born 4 July 1977) is an Argentine football manager and former player. He currently manages Banfield.
As a player, Méndez was a central defender. He won Argentine League championships with all three clubs he represented in his country, and also spent almost five years in Spain.
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A native of Buenos Aires, Méndez started his career with Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield. He made his official debut in first division on July 24, 1994 against Club Social, Deportivo y Cultural Español, aged only 17. During his time with Vélez 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 Celta de Vigo, during the Galician club's heyday. In his four 1/2-year spell, he rarely started (tops 16 matches, in 2004–05, with the club in the second level), but did amass nearly 75 official appearances.
In 2006, Méndez returned to his country, signing with Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro, and helped it to the 2007 Clausura tournament, his fourth league title. Nevertheless, during 2008 he took part in only a few matches, mostly because of constant injuries and ejections. Afterwards, he was transferred to Club Atlético Banfield for the 2009–10 season, and was a key member of the squad that won the 2009 Apertura, appearing in all 19 matches.
On 13 December 2009, the squad celebrated its first ever top division accolade. Shortly after, Méndez announced his retirement from football, at the age of 32.[1]
On April 4, 2010, Méndez returned to San Lorenzo, now as a caretaker manager, following Diego Simeone's dismissal. On December 21, 2010, he landed his first job as a full time manager in another of his former clubs: Banfield, where he replaced Julio César Falcioni.[2]
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