- 11 hours ago
Barcelona announce the signing of Ronaldinho's son
Robin Bairner
- 2 Mar 2023 12:44 GMT
- 3 min read
Barcelona have announced the signing of 17-year-old prospect Joao Mendes, the son of the legendary Ronaldinho.
The teenager will go straight into Barcelona’s youth team, with the idea that he one day follows in his father’s footsteps by playing for the Blaugrana at Camp Nou.
President Joan Laporta confirmed that a deal was in the pipeline to land the young Brazilian talent as early as 6 February, and Joao Mendes has already made his debut for Barca’s youth ranks after turning out in a friendly against Manchester United.
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Like Ronaldinho, Joao Mendes is an attacking player who is capable of playing up front and in midfield.
Although he is right-sided, he is said to be comfortable on his left foot and, like his father, is naturally skilled in possession.
Mundo Deportivo states that has moved to Barcelona in order to work at the “best academy in the world”, at the club at which his father was a legend.
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OFFICIAL: Barcelona have signed João Mendes.
Better known as Ronaldinho's son 👶 pic.twitter.com/QicuDF6yuB— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) March 2, 2023
Ronaldinho at Barcelona
Ronaldinho moved to Barcelona in 2003 from Paris Saint-Germain and would spend the best years of his career at Camp Nou before leaving in 2008.
He became a legendary figure at the club and was widely regarded as the best player in the world for an extended period before Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rose to the fore. In total, he played 207 times for Barca and scored 94 goals.
A controversial character at times, he won two La Liga titles with Barcelona but his crowning glory at Camp Nou was the 2005/06 Champions League title, which was claimed thanks to a 2-1 win over Arsenal in Paris.
He won the 2005 Ballon d’Or and was twice named FIFA World Player of the Year.
At international level, Ronaldinho won 97 caps for Brazil and was a member of the squad that won the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea – the last occasion the South American nation won the crown.
