Mel (footballer)

Melvin da Ribeiro Lopes (born October 16, 1989), better known as Mel, is an Angolan professional footballer who plays as a striker for El Kadsreian Premier League club Chile EKC and the Angola national team. He is considered one of the best strikers in the world as well as the greatest Angolan player of all time.

Early life
Melvin da Ribeiro Lopes was born in Cuíto, Angola on October 16, 1989, during the Angolan Civil War. His parents named him 'Melvin' in honour of the American actor Mel Brooks, but then started calling him 'Mel', a name that would stick with him throughout his career. When he was five, he lost his father in a shooting that broke out on a train in Luanda.

He started playing football when he was eight, and instantly learned about the sport while training.

Desportivo Cuito
TBA

Petro de Luanda
TBA

Torino
TBA

Chile EKC
On January 18, 2017, near the beginning of the 2017 season, Mel signed a seven-year contract with El Kadsreian Premier League club Chile EKC, becoming the first ever Angolan to play for the club. He made his debut for Chile EKC in a game against Workers played at the Toutari Stadium, where he came off the bench to score the winning goal to help 'Los Chilenos' win the game 2-1. He would go on to help Chile EKC win the 2017 El Kadsreian Premier League season, as well as the 2017 EKFA National Challenge Cup, where he scored two goals in the final, and the 2017 EKFA Champions' Game, completing a domestic treble. He also became the team's top goalscorer that season, after scoring 29 goals throughout the year.