Ronaldinho's son makes his Barça U19 debut vs. Manchester United

Ronaldinho's son, João Mendes, made his debut Thursday with Barcelona Juvenil A (U19( team in a friendly match behind closed doors at the Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper against Manchester United's youth team.

Barça had already announced that the friendly would serve as preparation for the UEFA Youth League last-16 tie against AZ Alkmaar on 1 March (16:00).

In the match, Barça played with a combination of Juvenil A and Juvenil B players, including Ronaldinho's son, whose signing was confirmed by Joan Laporta himself in his last press conference. 

The club's idea is for him to reinforce the Juvenil A team this season, although it remains to be seen what role he has in the team.

📌 𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐈 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓

💪 𝐉𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐥 𝐀 vs AZ Alkmaar
🏆 @UEFAYouthLeague
⚽️ Vuitens de final
📅 01/03
⌚️ 16 hores
🏟️ Estadi Johan Cruyff#FCBMasia 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/F97P8jUjBn

— FC Barcelona - Masia (@FCBmasia) February 15, 2023

Mendes, 17, comes from Brazilian football and arrives mid-season. A situation that will need a period of adaptation. Being Ronaldinho's son, as Laporta himself acknowledged, adds pressure on the young player.

"The pressure that the boy has is very big, because Ronaldinho has been one of the best in history. His son has pressure, but it is the job of our coaches that he can develop his skills," Laporta said.