Joao Mendes, the son of legendary Barcelona player Ronaldinho, recently joined the Barcelona Youth Setup.
Despite being born as the son of one of the greatest football players of all time, his identity is less-known among football enthusiasts. So, today, we’ll take a look at this young football prodigy.
Table of contents
Can Vitor Roque be the next big thing for Barcelona?
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How did Ronaldinho’s son join Barcelona?
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At the age of four, Joao de Assis Moreira, better known as Joao Mendes expressed his interest in football and asked his mother to enroll him in a football school. Following a successful trial, Mendes would sign a six-year contract with Cruzeiro in 2019. Mendes’ fast feet and sight for goal impressed the scouts during his trial with Cruzeiro. Having said that, the Brazilian team had no idea the boy was Ronaldinho’s son, as Mendes had hidden his identity. Then Mendes went onto leave Cruzeiro after three years to pursue other chances.
The Brazilian-Spanish dual citizen, participated in a trial with the Catalan side in January. However, during the initial stages of trial, the 17-year-old failed to impress the club. The president of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, then urged the club to be patient with Mendes. Eventually, the Brazilian would shine in the final stages of the trial, earning him a contract with Barcelona’s academy.
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In which position does he play?
The young Brazilian occupies a position similar to that of his father, Ronaldinho. Mendes can play in any attacking position, but he is primarily a second striker who can also play as an attacking midfielder. Ronaldinho, on the other hand, was a big, two-footed winger who caused havoc for the majority of his opponents. Mendes’ playing style differs from that of his father. He stands 5’8″, has quick feet, and prefers to finish with his left foot.
Credits: https://twitter.com/RaatjeFC/status/1624066466302533637
His future at Barcelona
Mendes will be hoping to replicate Ronaldinho’s success at Barcelona, but it may be tricky. The fact that Mendes failed to impress Barcelona during his first trial suggests that he may difficult to break into the first team immediately.
Barcelona’s youth system already possess some serious talents, including Ilias Akhomach, Yamine Lamal, Fabio Blanco etc. Therefore, he’ll have to compete with them for a stable spot in Barca Athletic before convincing management to call him up to the first team.
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Our Thoughts
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Unlike his father, who joined Barcelona as a proven player, Joao Mendes will begin his Barcelona career at a very young age. When it comes to positions where he can obtain a place in the first team, the striker position seems the most likely. As we are really intrigued about Lewandowski’s heir, Joao Mendes may easily break into the first squad, if he starts banging in goals for Barca Athletic.
In the 2000s, Ronaldinho made the number 10 jersey shine for Barcelona.
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Can his mini-version repeat the same feat with number 9 in 2020s?
