Barcelona confirm Ronaldinho’s son, Joao Mendes, will join club after successful trial

Joao Mendes the son of Barcelona legend Ronaldinho will join the Blaugrana following a successful trial, club president Joan Laporta has confirmed.

Former Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldinho enjoyed a successful five-year spell with Barca between 2003 and 2008, helping the Catalan giants win two LaLiga titles and the Champions League, while he now serves as a club ambassador.

And his 17-year-old son, who previously played for Corinthians, is set for an opportunity to follow in his father’s footsteps, having departed Cruzeiro to embark on his trial with the Blaugrana.

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“We are really happy Ronaldinho, and his brother Roberto Assis thought of Barca to continue his son’s career,” Laporta said.

“He’s very young and he’s training with us, but we will give him a contract. There are a few things to finalise, but we are very happy with him.

“The pressure on the boy is great because Ronaldinho has been one of the best in history. The son has pressure, but it’s the job of our coaches to develop his skills.”

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Meanwhile, director of football Mateu Alemany says the club are still confident of signing Julian Araujo, having narrowly missed out on landing the LA Galaxy defender during the January transfer window.

“He is a footballer that we have been following for a long time that due to circumstances – due to a failure of the FIFA system, it could not be closed,” he said.

“The famous 18 seconds. He was a footballer who would play for second team. We are looking for a solution, via Court of Arbitration for Sport or to play in another team for the next five months and then join.“