His name might not strike any bells with most readers but Milton Andrande Vaz Mendes has been living in Cyprus since 2008.
The now-retired footballer has played for a number of Cypriot clubs, including Doxa Katokopias and AEK Larnaca. Milton spoke to the Cyprus Mail about his career, how his journey led him to Cyprus, and how Portugal keeps producing so many high-level players and managers.
Milton’s career did not start the easy way but it was infused with bravery and ambition. The Portuguese player moved to London at the tender age of 17. His only contact in England? A cousin living there. He trialled for West Ham and subsequently joined their academy. His stint at the East London club was short-lived. “I was alone, missing home, and I couldn’t speak English”, Milton said.
After four months the player returned to his native country. His progression was steady but took a lot of work. “I started in the smaller divisions and every year I went one division up”, he said.
Milton started in the sixth tier of Portuguese football. Rising through the divisions is an unenviable task but through hard work and a little bit of luck, Milton found himself in the second tier of the Portuguese football pyramid. “One time a coach saw me and asked me to play for him in the third division for an island team. Then I moved to a club in Lisbon. I had a good season there and we moved to the second division. After another good season, I moved to the north of Portugal”, Milton said.
This is where things start to take shape a bit and the conditions for his eventual move to Cyprus start falling into place. “I was in the second division B”, he says, referring to the third tier of the football system in Portugal. The third tier is divided into various leagues, designated A to H, each one with 12 clubs competing for promotion. “Then we won the championship and moved to the second division [the LigaPro]”, Milton said.
This was the season a Cypriot manager by the name of Pambos Christodoulou took an interest in him. “That season Pambos Christodoulou came to Portugal to scout players from the first three divisions”, Milton says.
That’s when he came to Cyprus to play for Doxa Katokopias at the age of 28. He is clearly extremely respectful of Christodoulou, praising him for the relationship he had with him, as well as how he treated the rest of the players he managed. “I had a good relationship with Pambos. He is a great guy, a great coach”, Milton said.
I asked Milton why out of all the managers he reserves praise for Christodoulou. “I like him because he had something (special) during that period. He fought for us, he cared for us, which in turn pushed the players to fight for him on the pitch”, he said. “A big point (in his favour) is that he can make players fight for him”, he added.
Milton played as a striker, as a number ten, and as a winger. Although he says his favourite position was as a traditional number nine, I asked him about his duties as a winger and if he was asked to track back to help when the team was not in possession. “Of course”, he said, “you have to fight for your team”.
I asked him about the Portuguese players he encountered in Cyprus. “I played with Renato Margaca (at Doxa) who is still in Cyprus. I met Comboio (who also played at Doxa). Also, Ze Vitor, we played together at Ypsonas. We became friends. I met a few Portuguese players who joined after I stopped playing as well”, Milton said.
I asked him how he found Cyprus, how easy it was to adapt to the island and what made him decide to come here. “Portugal has great players and it’s a lot of them. It’s very difficult to make it to the top division. By coming to Cyprus, you have more opportunities to showcase your talent”, he said.
“The weather is also helpful. When we came to Cyprus, we didn’t know how it was going to be here. Now, when I speak to friends who have left Cyprus, all of them are missing it. They want to come back. They are in love with this place”, Milton says.
I ask him about how Portugal produces coach after coach who manages to have a career abroad. “They have great coaches in Portugal. Their coaches have a lot of potential”, he says. He mentioned Pedro Emanuel, the ex-Porto player who managed Apollon Limassol. “Also, Bruno Baltazar, who managed AEL Limassol and Apoel Nicosia”, he added.
Milton ended with some warm words about his tenure in Cypriot football and his life here. “Andreas Michaelides, another great coach”, he says, referencing the current president of the Cyprus Sports Organisation. “And Yiannakis Pontikos. Another great guy as well”, Milton said.
“I really enjoyed playing in Cyprus, to be honest with you”, Milton said. “I made friends from every club I passed from and I played for a lot of teams here. I met some amazing people. The advantage of a football player”, he concludes.
