Ronaldinho’s son snapped up by Championship side after leaving Barcelona
Brazilian flair lands in Lancashire.
Joao Mendes, the son of legendary Brazilian forward Ronaldinho, has signed for Championship side Burnley, according to reports.
The 19-year-old has spent time at Flamengo, Vasco da Gama and Cruzeiro in his youth career, before moving to Barcelona in 2023.
He played for the Under-18 and Under-19 teams with the Spanish giants but did not make the grade and was released at the end of his contract in June.
After a short search for a new club, Mendes has signed up with Burnley, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reporting the deal and Euro Foot reporting that he has agreed a two-year contract.
The forward is yet to make a professional appearance in his career, so it is yet to be seen whether he will be able to impress at Turf Moor enough to feature.
Ronaldinho, 44, will be glad his son has found a new club, but is unlikely to be as excited as he was when Mendes signed for Barcelona.
The former Brazil superstar told RAC1 last year: ‘Barça has always been part of my life and my heart and it will continue with my son.
He added to Marca: ‘Wherever I go I take Barcelona with me. With the arrival of my son at Barca I’ll be more present than ever.’
Burnley got their Championship campaign off the an ideal start with a 4-1 win at Luton Town last weekend in a clash between two sides newly relegated from the Premier League.
Scott Parker was taking charge of his first league game inside of the Clarets and he was thrilled with what he saw from his side.
‘The big statement was for us internally,’ said Parker. ‘The execution of what we went out to do was incredible, and the belief and the confidence that this result will bring.
‘From afar, people will look at it and will talk about it. But the biggest thing is the statement we’ve proved to ourselves.
‘A lot of hard work has gone in, a different voice from myself. To a man, (the players) were superb.’
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