All About Ronaldinho’s Son João Mendes

Ronaldinho may be a soccer legend, but his son João Mendes is creating his own legacy in the sport.

Ronaldinho is considered one of the greatest and most revered soccer players of all time, known for his fancy footwork, trick plays, ability to score creative goals and for the joy with which he played. During his career with Barcelona FC, he earned the 2005 Ballon d’Or, two FIFA Player of the Year Awards and during his time playing for his national team, Brazil, he helped lead them to a World Cup victory in 2002.

During the peak of his career, Ronaldinho and professional dancer Janaína Mendes welcomed their son João on Feb. 25, 2005. João looks to be taking after his dad, having transferred to Burnley F.C. in August 2024, after playing for FC Barcelona’s youth club — the same team where his father had his greatest years.

When João signed with Barcelona’s youth club, Ronaldinho expressed both pride in his son and excitement about the opportunity to watch him play.

“Yes, he [João] is coming [to Barcelona] now,” Ronaldinho told Spanish radio station RAC-1 in 2023, according to Spanish outlet Marca. “I’m never out of the club. Barcelona is part of life. Wherever I go I take Barcelona with me. With the arrival of my son at Barca, I’ll be more present than ever.”

Here is everything to know about legendary soccer player Ronaldinho and professional dancer Janaina Mendes’ soccer-playing son, João Mendes.

João was born in Brazil in 2005

On Feb. 25, 2005, Ronaldinho welcomed his son João Mendes with professional dancer Janaína Mendes. Ronaldinho met Janaína when she was a dancer on the Brazilian TV show Domingão do Faustão.

João was born in Rio De Janeiro, meaning he may one day play for the Brazilian national team just like his father. When João turned 18 in 2023, Ronaldinho shared a birthday post with pictures of the two out on the town and traveling to commemorate the occasion.

“My big partner’s day!!! Happy birthday my son… ❤️🤙🏾,” Ronaldinho wrote in Portuguese on Instagram.

João shares his name with Ronaldinho’s late father

João Mendes is not the first of his name in the Ronaldinho family.

Ronaldinho’s father was named João de Assis Moreira, but tragically died when Ronaldinho was just 8 years old in a swimming accident at their home. Ronaldinho wrote about how much his father meant to him in a letter to his younger self for The Player’s Tribune.

“Dad was a superhero. He loved [soccer] so much that even after working at the shipyard during the week, he would work security at Grêmio’s stadium on the weekend,” Ronaldinho wrote, referring to the soccer team from Porto Alegre in Rio Grande do Sul.

João comes from an athletic family, including an uncle who works as an agent

João comes from a long line of athletes. Outside of his legendary father, João’s uncle Roberto de Assis Moreira — Ronaldinho’s brother, who is more commonly referred to as Assis — is best known for playing soccer for Grêmio and for Sion FC in Switzerland. He is also known for having worked as both Ronaldinho’s agent and been involved in João’s career.

Meanwhile, João’s mom Janaína not only carved out a career as a successful dancer on TV, but she is a fitness influencer, regularly posting her workouts on Instagram to her nearly 100,000 followers.

Ronaldinho shares pictures of him and João spending time together

Ronaldinho regularly posts updates on social media of him and João spending time together. Their activities vary from playing soccer together to having dinner and more.

Once, Ronaldinho even posted a picture of him and his son at the “Fragments of Gaucho” — the legendary soccer player is also known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho — exhibition. The snap showed the father-son duo taking a selfie in front of paintings of Ronaldinho.

“#TBT of a very special day with my son @_mendesjoao_ at the amazing exhibition “Fragments of a Gaucho” 🤙🏾,” Ronaldinho wrote on Instagram in 2020.

Ronaldinho played in an exhibition game on the same team as his son and won

Soccer is often referred to as “the beautiful game” and in 2023, Ronaldinho and João got to play on the same team in an exhibition match called “The Beautiful Game” in Orlando. The matchup saw two teams — featuring soccer legends and celebrities — captained by legendary Brazilian soccer players as Team Ronaldinho faced off against Team Roberto Carlos.

Although the game was stopped due to weather and fans invading the field after 55 minutes, Ronaldinho and João had their team up 4-3 when the game was stopped.

João’s parents were with him when he signed with Nike

In 2019, João took after his father Ronaldinho in another way as he signed with Nike. Both Ronaldinho — who first signed with the sports brand in 2003 — and Janaína were in attendance for their son’s milestone.

“Newest member of the @nike family!!! Soccer with joy !!! 🤙🏾,” Ronaldinho wrote on Instagram at the time.

João played with Barcelona FC, just like his dad

Ronaldinho had a legendary career with FC Barcelona, known as one of the greatest players of all time. He helped deliver the team two La Liga titles, two Spanish Supercups and a Champions League trophy.

He was also named as the best player of the 2000s decade, ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by World Soccer. Ronaldinho will always be part of the fabric of Barcelona, but on Mar. 2, 2023, the Ronaldinho name became further entwined with Barcelona as João signed with the club, for their youth team.

João signed with Burnley in 2024

While many expected João would stay with Barcelona after playing with the youth team, he surprised the soccer world by signing with the English soccer team, Burnley F.C. in August, 2024. With Burnley, he will play for the Under-21 team to give himself more time to develop.

“I feel blessed to be here and I’m excited to take on this opportunity,” João told Burnley. “The project is great and although the weather is different to what I’m used to where I’m from in Brazil, I can tell how passionate the fans are about [soccer] here and I really like the town.”

“The other players have been very receptive, speaking to me and making me feel part of the group. Training has been great so far too,” João continued. “I’m a technical and fast player and my main [goal] is helping the team win games.”