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 one of the greatest African players 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 joined FC Cuíto one year later because of his love for the club.