Barcelona coach has made the surprising choice to call up a true Barcelona legend’s son to first-team training.
Due to several main squad members being called up for international duties, Barcelona’s coach, Xavi Hernandez, has had to incorporate young and reserve players into this week’s training sessions.
This situation has allowed a few fresh talents the chance to be guided by the iconic former player and to practice alongside the senior team members who are not on international assignments.
Among these young talents, 15-year-old Toni Fernandez caught Xavi’s attention during Wednesday’s training.
In addition to Fernandez, Wednesday’s practice featured an interesting presence as reported by SPORT – Joao Mendes, the son of Barcelona’s legendary player Ronaldinho.
The 19-year-old winger, who joined Barcelona last year after periods at Cruzeiro, is currently with Barça’s Juvenil A team, competing in the Division de Honor. Mendes is a left-footed winger who primarily plays on the right and, although he may not possess his father’s extraordinary flair or reach an exceptionally high skill level, he is recognized as a talented player.
Xavi, who once played alongside Ronaldinho at Barcelona under the management of Frank Rijkaard, took the opportunity to coach Ronaldinho’s son in Wednesday’s session.
While Mendes had the privilege of training under Xavi alongside the first-team squad, it doesn’t seem like he’s on the verge of joining the senior team setup just yet.
The future of the 19-year-old at Barça, with his contract ending this season, is still uncertain.
