In addition to being the current head coach at FC Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez is also one of the biggest legends of the Catalan club, as he spent almost all of his senior career with the Blaugranes and made the second-highest number of appearances in the club’s history, 767, which are less only than those made by Lionel Messi.
During his 24 years at the club, Xavi played with some of the most notable names in the club’s history, including Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Carles Puyol.
Another legendary player with whom Xavi shared the pitch 172 times for Barcelona was the Brazilian forward, Ronaldinho. They together won one Champions League and two La Liga titles during their time at FC Barcelona, and both have retained a close personal relationship even today.
But in addition to this close personal relationship, there is another factor that would tie these former players together, sixteen years after they last played together.
As SPORT has reported, yesterday was the first time that Ronaldinho’s son, Joao Mendes, was trained by Xavi Hernandez with the first-team players who have not left for international duties.
Mendes is currently a part of the Juvenil A team at Barcelona and plays under Oscar Lopez in the Honor Division. He is a significant way far from the talent that his father possessed, but he is still a good player for his age category.
The son of the Barcelona legend is currently in his last year as a youth player but has already played several games in the upper categories. He operates mainly at the right wing, but can also take up positions in the centre of the attack, and has left as his stronger foot.
Having joined FC Barcelona in the middle of the last season, the youngster has a contract with the Catalan club that goes till this summer. It remains to be seen whether he will remain at Barcelona after that time, but his association with the Catalan club through his father will always remain wherever he plays.
