Brazil legend Ronaldinho’s son Joao Mendes has officially signed his first contract with Barcelona’s U-19 team. The youngster’s new deal will run until the summer of 2024, when he will have the opportunity to leave the U-19 squad given his age.
Barcelona could also decide to extend his contract next summer, but it is a decision they will make when it expires. For now, he will be playing with their youth team and will develop further with them.
Joao Mendes signs with Barcelona youth team
At the start of February, the 18-year-old was being assessed through a trial. The initial stages of the trial were reportedly not going well. But, Barcelona president Joan Laporta asked the rest of the board to be patient.
And now, it seems that he has done enough to impress the other members of the board and earn a contract with the Catalonian side. His father spent five years with the first team, making 145 appearances and winning the 2005 Ballon d’Or to cement himself as one of the all-time greats.
Joao Mendes has seemingly inherited some of his father’s skillful footwork, and is now with arguably the best academy in the world. Mendes is not a winger, but is a centre-forward, and functions as a target man in the box.
