Ronaldinho's son signs for Burnley FC in shock move | OneFootball

Burnley appear to have made their latest signing - and it's a left-field one

Highlights

Scott Parker is set to make his latest signing as Burnley manager - and it's the son of Barcelona and Brazil legend Ronaldinho.

As first called by Brazilian journalist Marcos Felipe, Joao Mendes is set to sign with Burnley in a move that has left supporters up and down the country in real shock.

The Brazilian prospect was pictured alongside his agent posing with a Clarets shirt yesterday evening.

Mendes, who was recently released by Barcelona, is the son of Ronaldinho and much will be expected as a result, even if it is not yet clear whether he will be going straight into the Burnley first-team squad.

The Clarets have made a number of summer signings in a bid to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, with the likes of Shurandy Sambo, Lucas Pires and Andreas Hountondji all joining the club in recent months.

Burnley initiated their 2024/25 Championship campaign with a bang by romping to a 4-1 victory over fellow newly-relegated outfit Luton Town away from home on Monday evening, and they will want to keep the momentum going when Cardiff City head to Turf Moor this weekend.

Ronaldinho's son Joao Mendes signs for Burnley

The report claims Mendes is set to sign a two-year contract with the Championship club following his release from Barcelona, where he had been playing his football for a year in their academy system.

It is said, however, that his contract is a professional one, which indicates he may have some involvement in Parker's first-team.

Mendes is believed to have arrived in England at the beginning of the week to undertake medical examination before officially making the switch. He is also said to be available from next week, and Burnley supporters will be particularly intrigued to see if he can get an early run of games under Parker.

Mendes can operate as either a winger or striker and and previously spent time with some of the most illustrious academies in his native Brazil such as Flamengo, Vasco da Gama, Boavista and Cruzeiro.

Joao Mendes' Burnley move is a shock

Ronaldinho is among the most decorated players of his generation and right up there with the most talented players to have played the game too, so the sheer thought of someone with any biological relation to the mercurial ex-Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain playmaker simply defies belief.

For it to be his son, then, is only even more surprising and will bring a weight of expectation too. There is nothing whatsoever to suggest that Mendes will reach his father's lofty levels within the sport - not many players can full stop - but Burnley supporters will still want to see the famous samba style weave its wand at Turf Moor in the months and perhaps years to come.

Just how good he actually is remains to be seen as he, unlike his father of course, is a real unknown quantity on English shores - but if anything, that only adds to the excitement.

He's sure to have some skill and trickery about him at the very least and it will be some sight to see how Championship defenders try and cope with that, assuming he manages to get on the pitch.