Barcelona has signed 17-year-old Joao Mendes, the son of former Blaugrana star Ronaldinho after the youngster had been on trial with the club for a few weeks.
Joao Mendes was supposedly rejected by the Barcelona coaches initially but was signed after President Joan Laporta weighed in on the issue due to his relationship with Blaugrana legend Ronaldinho.
Laporta was president when Barcelona signed Ronaldinho, and the club has shown interest in continuing that tradition and relationship by bringing his son to the club.
The 17-year-old announced his signing on Instagram with pictures of him signing his contract at the Barcelona offices.
Joao Mendes will likely join Barcelona’s youth team playing in the third tier of Spanish football before stepping up to the senior squad.
Joao Mendes has big shoes to fill at Barcelona after his father changed the course of history when he joined the club, and it is left to be seen if he will live up to the expectations, although that seems an unfair task for the youngster.
