The son of a Brazilian legend has joined Burnley after leaving Spain to sign a professional contract at the Championship side.
Burnley have been keen to invest in young potential talents around Europe as the 19-year-old travelled to England at the start of the week and signed a two-year contract at the club.
His departure from Barcelona comes as the creative forward leaves the LaLiga club where he struggled to make an impact at their La Masia academy.
Joao Mendes is now expected to link-up with his new team-mates, but it is yet to be seen whether he forms part of Scott Parker’s first-team plans or will instead join Burnley’s youth teams.
The winger is the son of Brazil and Barcelona icon Ronaldinho, but unlike his former Ballon d’Or winning father, prefers to play on the left wing.
The son of a Brazilian legend has joined Burnley after leaving Spain to sign a professional contract
Mendes, born Joao de Assis Moreira, is hoping to follow in his dad Ronaldinho’s footsteps
He signed a first contract at the Catalan club last year where it was hoped that Mendes would go on to emulate the astonishing achievements of his dad in Spain’s top-flight.
Mendes was believed to have initially struggled during his trial at Barcelona only to salvage a deal at Barcelona – much to his father’s delight.
However, a difficult spell resulted in Barcelona terminating his contract in June, with Burnley now stepping in to give Mendes a career lifeline.
The left-footed forward held up a new Burnley home strip to pose for photos after he signed his contract at the Championship side.
Ronaldinho previously established himself as one of the world’s best players during a title-laden tenure at Barcelona, winning the Ballon d’Or in 2005 and mesmerising audiences around the globe for bringing his Brazilian flair to the modern game.
