PatMen
Patrick Mendoza (born December 4, 2001), better known by his player name PatMen, is a Filipino professional Valorant player who currently plays for Global Esports. He previously played for the Singapore-based organization Paper Rex, where he won the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Masters Toronto in 2025. Mendoza is the first Filipino player to win an international VCT Masters tournament. He was named the VCT Pacific Rookie of the Year and Initiator of the Year for the 2025 season.
| PatMen | |
|---|---|
| Current team | |
| Team | Global Esports |
| Role | Initiator |
| Game | Valorant |
| League | VCT Pacific |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Patrick Mendoza December 5, 2001[1] Angat, Bulacan, Philippines |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Team history | |
| 2022 | SR Nacague |
| 2023–2024 | ZOL Esports |
| 2025 | NAOS Esports |
| 2025 | Paper Rex |
| 2026–present | Global Esports |
Patrick Mendoza (born December 4, 2001), better known by his player name PatMen, is a Filipino professional Valorant player who currently plays for Global Esports. He previously played for the Singapore-based organization Paper Rex, where he won the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Masters Toronto in 2025. Mendoza is the first Filipino player to win an international VCT Masters tournament. He was named the VCT Pacific Rookie of the Year and Initiator of the Year for the 2025 season.
Early life
[edit]Patrick Mendoza is from Angat, Bulacan, Philippines.[2] Before entering esports, he was a varsity basketball player in elementary school and high school at Colegio de Sta. Monica de Angat.[3] He planned to try out for university basketball teams in Manila, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented him from pursuing this path.[2] During the lockdowns, his brother introduced him to Valorant.[3] He previously played MOBA games like Dota and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang but had no prior experience with First-Person Shooter games.[2]
Career
[edit]2022–2024: Early career
[edit]Mendoza began his professional career in the Tier 2 scene of Philippine Valorant.[2] He played for SR Nacague in 2022 and ZOL Esports in 2023 and 2024.[4] With ZOL Esports, he won the Predator League Philippines in 2024.[5] ZOL Esports reached the grand finals of the VCT Challengers League Philippines in 2024 but lost to NAOS Esports, missing the Pacific Ascension tournament.[6] Mendoza briefly played for NAOS Esports during the first quarter of 2025 in the VCT Challengers Southeast Asia.[7]
2025: Paper Rex
[edit]On March 4, 2025, Paper Rex announced they had signed Mendoza as a sixth man.[7] The team made the acquisition after a poor performance in the VCT Pacific Kickoff.[8] He eventually replaced Aaron "mindfreak" Leonhart in the starting roster.[9]
Mendoza made his debut in April 2025 against BOOM Esports; although the team lost 1–2, he was named the MVP of the map Ascent.[10][11] He later admitted to struggling with mental pressure during his initial weeks with the team.[12] The team improved throughout VCT Pacific Stage 1, eventually defeating DRX in the lower bracket semifinals to qualify for an international event.[13] Paper Rex finished Stage 1 in third place.[14]
In June 2025, Mendoza and Paper Rex competed at Valorant Masters Toronto.[15] The team went undefeated in the playoffs, beating G2 Esports and Sentinels.[6] In the grand finals, they defeated Fnatic 3–1 to win the championship.[16] This victory made Mendoza the first Filipino to win an international VCT trophy.[6]
Later in the season, Paper Rex won the VCT Pacific Stage 2 title by defeating RRQ 3–1 in the finals held in Tokyo.[9] Mendoza played a key role in the team's performance during the group stage, where they finished with a 4–1 record.[17] The team then competed at Valorant Champions 2025 in Paris.[18] Paper Rex finished in the top four, losing to DRX in the lower bracket semifinals.[19]
On December 15, 2025, Paper Rex announced they had released Mendoza following an internal review.[8] The organization cited unexpected complications from information leaks and negotiation timelines as factors in the decision.[20]
2026: Global Esports
[edit]On the same day as his release from Paper Rex, Global Esports announced that Mendoza had joined their roster for the 2026 VCT season.[21] He joined a lineup that included fellow Filipino player Xavier "xavi8k" Juan.[20]
Player profile
[edit]Mendoza primarily plays the Initiator role.[22] His former coach Alexandre "alecks" Sallé noted that Mendoza's background in team sports helped him align the team and manage relationships.[4] Teammate Jinggg stated that Mendoza's vocal and confident personality helped improve the team's atmosphere.[23]
Outside of competitions, Mendoza has participated in collegiate events, such as a fan meet at De La Salle University-Dasmariñas in November 2025.[24]
Awards and nominations
[edit]Mendoza received two awards at the 2025 VCT Pacific Awards.[22] He was also nominated for Most Improved Player, which was won by DRX's player HYUNMIN.[25]
| Award | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VCT Pacific Awards | 2025 | Rookie of the Year | Won | [25] |
| Initiator of the Year | Won | [25] | ||
| Most Improved Player | Nominated | [25] |
References
[edit]- ^ Paper Rex [@pprxteam] (December 4, 2025). "Happy Birthday PatMen!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 16, 2025 – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ a b c d Demayo, Mark (September 12, 2025). "Paper Rex's PatMen: From basketball player to first Pinoy VALORANT champion". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Lojo, Michelle (September 10, 2025). "Paper Rex's PatMen shares journey from the basketball court to Valorant's big stage". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Agustin, Carl Martin (July 7, 2025). "Valorant's first Filipino champion eyes more international trophies: 'We're still not in our top form'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ Demayo, Mark (March 4, 2025). "VALORANT: Pinoy tier 2 pro PatMen joins Paper Rex". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ a b c Lojo, Michelle (June 30, 2025). "Paper Rex's PatMen looks back at journey to Valorant Masters throne". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Bernardo, Anna (March 4, 2025). "Paper Rex sign PatMen to their VALORANT roster". GosuGamers. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Ganguly, Sharmila (December 15, 2025). "PatMen parts ways with Paper Rex to join Global Esports ahead of VCT 2026". Dot Esports. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Cortez, Caezar Julius (September 5, 2025). "Filipino VALORANT player Patrick 'Patmen' Mendoza clinches another title". Manila Standard. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ Demayo, Mark (April 7, 2025). "VALORANT: Despite PatMen's impressive debut, Paper Rex falls to BOOM Esports". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ Lojo, Michelle (April 8, 2025). "Paper Rex loss spoils PatMen's debut in VCT Pacific". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ Lojo, Michelle (May 13, 2025). "Paper Rex's PatMen opens up about mental struggles in VCT Pacific Stage 1". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ Lojo, Michelle (May 10, 2025). "PatMen, Paper Rex qualify for Valorant Masters Toronto". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ Lojo, Michelle (April 29, 2025). "PatMen bucks odds in VCT Pacific". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ Demayo, Mark (June 15, 2025). "VALORANT: Paper Rex's PatMen making an impact in his first VCT global stage run". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ Suing, Ivan (June 23, 2025). "Paper Rex, 'PatMen' dominate VALORANT Masters". Daily Tribune. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ Demayo, Mark (August 12, 2025). "Paper Rex remains, but Team Secret and Global Esports bow out of VCT Pacific Stage 2". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ Maas, Lea (September 12, 2025). "Five players to watch out for at VALORANT Champions 2025". Esports Insider. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ Demayo, Mark (October 4, 2025). "Paper Rex's PatMen reflects on rookie VCT run after VALORANT Champions Paris loss". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Lojo, Michelle (December 15, 2025). "Waived by Paper Rex, PatMen joins Global Esports". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ Xu, Davide (December 15, 2025). "VALORANT Masters winner PatMen joins Global Esports to finalise 2026 roster". Esports Insider. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Lojo, Michelle (December 8, 2025). "PatMen earns double recognition in VCT Pacific awards". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ Bernardo, Anna (June 15, 2025). "Jinggg opens up on Paper Rex's mindset shift after reaching Playoffs at VALORANT Masters Toronto". GosuGamers. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ "The golden era of collegiate esports begins: DLSU-D's biggest convention with Charess and PatMen". Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 13, 2025. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Demayo, Mark (December 8, 2025). "VALORANT: PRX PatMen scoops 2 VCT Pacific Awards in his rookie year". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
