As his father Ronaldinho did when he rose to superstardom at the club, Barcelona has given Joao Mendes an opportunity to succeed at Camp Nou.

Mendes, who is 18 years old, signed a deal on Thursday to join Barcelona's development academy and hopes to advance.

After a trial session, Mendes was hired. He had previously played at the junior levels with a variety of Brazilian clubs.

In 207 games for Barcelona over a five-year span from 2003 to 2008, Ronaldinho scored 98 goals in all competitions.

After starring for Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil, he was brought in as close to the final product as possible. He later raised the bar even further by helping Barcelona win two LaLiga championships and the Champions League.

While a large crowd gathered to welcome Ronaldinho in 2003, the signing of his son was a low-key event, with Joan Soler Ferre, the club's director of youth football, joining him to oversee the transaction.

✍🏼 El jugador 𝗝𝗼𝗮̃𝗼 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘀 ha signat, en presència del directiu @SolerFerre i del director del Futbol Formatiu José Ramon Alexanco, la seva incorporació al FC Barcelona en l’etapa juvenil#FCBMasia 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/IyVWbFddHU— FC Barcelona - Masia (@FCBmasia) March 2, 2023

Ronaldinho, who won the 2005 Ballon d'Or, is now a Barcelona ambassador.

Youngster Mendes was released by Cruzeiro last year, but in February the Barcelona president Joan Laporta welcomed the prospect of him joining the Catalan giants.

"The pressure on the boy is great, because Ronaldinho has been one of the best in history," Laporta said then. "The son has pressure, but it's the job of our coaches to develop his skills."

Source: The Independent Ghana