Ronaldinho and Joao Mendes (foto: Instagram)
Joao Mendes, son of the legendary Ronaldinho, has moved to the Premier League after leaving Barcelona. His potential as a footballer is still under scrutiny.
The young and relatively unknown Joao Mendes is attracting significant attention in the football world.
Recently, the global football community suddenly remembered the 19-year-old son of the legendary Ronaldinho. The reason is simple—Ronaldinho’s son has left Barcelona after just a year at the club and moved to the world’s most competitive league—the Premier League.
Joao Mendes (19) is the son of Ronaldinho and Brazilian dancer Janaine Mendes. They were never married, and it seems their romance was brief. Janaine opened a profile on a popular social network just three years ago and mentioned in the comments that she met Ronaldinho at a dance show. She didn’t provide any details, only adding that they remain friends and co-parents to Joao Mendes.
It’s hard to comment on the ups and downs of family life, but it’s clear that Ronaldinho hasn’t abandoned his son. On the contrary, he has tried to help him, at least after young Joao decided to play football.
Joao started playing with a ball at the age of four. In an interview with Brazil's Globo, he recounted how he asked his mother to enroll him in a football club. By the age of 10, he had joined Flamengo, played futsal for Vasco da Gama, and briefly signed with Brazil’s Boavista.
At 13, Ronaldinho Jr. auditioned for Cruzeiro. He worked hard to hide that he was the son of a legend because he "wanted to earn his place on the team fairly." He joined Cruzeiro, but reporters from Globo eventually uncovered who his father was. The journalist who exposed Joao’s secret insisted that the young player had “charmed” the scouts, but it turned out he was too young to sign a contract. A year later, in 2019, Mendes finally signed a six-year deal. He seemed very promising, as he scored two goals for Cruzeiro’s youth team in a tournament in China immediately after his transfer.
In February 2022, Joao Mendes left Cruzeiro. In four years with the team, he never debuted in Brazil’s Serie A or even in the state championship. His contract with the club was terminated by mutual consent. What exactly happened remains unclear. Mendes didn’t explain why he left Cruzeiro but actively shared photos from his travels. Almost a year after leaving the team, he went for a trial with a bigger and more famous club—Barcelona.
Joao had long been linked with the Catalan club, dating back to 2020. In 2023, he was finally invited for a “trial,” clearly not without help from his father, Ronaldinho. Reports suggest that the coaches were not impressed, so Joan Laporta personally intervened and requested an additional trial for the son of one of Barcelona’s greatest and most beloved players in history.
On February 7, 2023, Ronaldinho announced at a party hosted by Catalan media outlet Mundo Deportivo that with his son joining Barcelona, he would be more involved in the club’s activities. Officially, this happened in early March, but Ronaldinho Jr. managed to play in a friendly match with Manchester United’s juniors before signing his contract. After the match, Laporta confirmed that Barca would offer Mendes a contract and keep him on the team.
It’s difficult to assess the young Brazilian’s success over the past year, as statistics on his performances are hard to find. One source on Twitter suggests that by February 2024, Mendes had played 19 matches for Barcelona’s youth team, but he spent only 238 minutes on the field. Commentators noticed that in these matches, he mainly played as a right-back, although his primary position is on the right wing. As for goals, based on all available data, he hasn’t scored any. Joao has yet to debut at the highest youth level, although he occasionally trains with the juniors.
This summer, Mendes signed with Burnley on a free transfer. Reportedly, the contract is for two years. It’s unlikely the young player will immediately join the first team, as his transfer is officially considered part of Burnley’s U21 squad. As mentioned earlier, Mendes’s natural position is on the right wing, as he is a left-footed player, but he can also play as a central striker. Since he often appeared as a right-back last season, it’s still unclear what role Burnley envisions for him.
Given that Ronaldinho Jr. has yet to play a single senior match, it’s very difficult to assess his potential. At the moment, Transfermarkt doesn’t assign any value to Mendes, which is quite rare for a player who is already 19 years old.
Those who have seen him in action say that the son is still far from displaying the magic his father once showed. However, Mendes creates a buzz wherever he goes, and with that buzz comes great pressure. So, let’s not jump to conclusions—time will tell whether Burnley has strengthened its squad with a talented footballer or simply attracted media attention by signing the son of a famous father.
It would be fantastic if Mendes could even partially remind us of his father, as his football magic is considered by many to be the most beautiful seen this century. But, as we all know, that might be too much to expect...