The Sunderland defender reflects on his emotional international retirement and his love of Wearside’s cold conditions
Sunderland defender Reinildo Mandava has revealed the emotional reasoning behind his recent international retirement - and his comments offered a glimpse into the mentality that has quickly endeared him to supporters on Wearside.
Mandava confirmed that his final appearance for Mozambique came at the Africa Cup of Nations in December 2025 in Morocco, allowing him to say goodbye wearing the national jersey one last time. In a statement released earlier this year, he paid tribute to his family, spoke of the immense pride he felt representing his country and reflected candidly on how injury had altered his perspective on both football and life.
Speaking after the defeat to Liverpool, he admitted stepping away from international duty had not been straightforward. “Yes, it's hard because I started playing in the national team when I was 17, so many long years, too many things have passed. So now it's time to give a little bit of focus to my family and my team, because it's very difficult sometimes to travel, spend a lot of time in school, it's too many things.
“It was a very hard decision for me because my nation is everything for me, they've given so many things for me, but it's time to listen to my body and give a little bit more attention to my family. I'm happy here, so I'm focused 100 per cent here.”
The Premier League’s intensity has clearly factored into that choice. Mandava has spoken previously about the physical demands of the division, and he reiterated his commitment to Sunderland. “It's a tough, tough league. I'm very happy to be here to help my team. I'm very happy to be here in Sunderland. I will give my best every day, every game, to help my team.”
His dedication is perhaps best illustrated by something supporters have frequently noticed. While others wrap up in thermals, gloves and jackets during North East rain and biting winter nights, Mandava is regularly seen in short sleeves and minimal layers - seemingly unaffected by the elements.
“No, no, I like to watch the cold weather. That's why I'm always like this. I don't like to put too much on, like jackets. I'm feeling comfortable. So that's why I love the cold. That's why I'm training like this, I'm always like this. Because I'm feeling good when I have not too much clothes.”
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On the 1-0 loss to Liverpool, Mandava added: “It's a tough goal when you concede like this from a set piece. But we have to work and set pieces in the big championships make a difference. Today was this, to make a difference with a set piece. But like I said, we have to keep our head up and working.We still have many games in front of us.
We're working every day. We try to give our best every day. Today we're like a group, we're working together.In our team, when we play together, things happen very good for us. Today we fight together, but I think it's the question of detail. One set piece is the score. Yes, we keep going, we keep working every day to give our best to the matches coming.
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