Brazilian legend Ronaldinho has announced that his son Joao Mendes will join one of his former clubs following a successful trial.
Mendes is set to follow in the footsteps of his iconic father after Ronaldinho confirmed that his son will be joining FC Barcelona just weeks after attending trials at the La Masia academy.
The 17-year-old, who plays striker, is said to have recently terminated his contract with Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro and he will now feature for Barca's U19 team going forward.
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The teenager reportedly struggled to make at impression in Catalonia initially and Blaugrana president Joan Laporta even requested that the coaching staff should extend the youngster's trial so that he could have more time to settle.
Mendes is said to have proven himself in the latter stages of his assessment at Barca and was offered a contract as a result. His father Ronaldinho was all too pleased to publicly announce that his son has joined the Catalan outfit, per RAC1.
"With the arrival of my son at Barcelona I will be more present than ever at the club," Ronaldinho declared.
"I am never outside the club. Barcelona is part of my life.
"Wherever I go I take Barcelona with me. With the arrival of my son at Barcelona I will be more present than ever."
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The deal is said to have been overseen by Mendes' agent, Roberto de Assis, who is also his uncle. The representative was in direct contact with Laporta over the deal, with the transition from Brazil to Spain expected to go smoothly as the teenager already has a Spanish passport.
According to several reports, Mendes had to hide his identity during his trial at Cruzeiro in 2018 because he did not want his father's status to influence the club's decision on his signing. He was successful during that trial and eventually joined the acclaimed youth academy before his recent departure.
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