There are few propositions more dangerous on a football pitch than facing Ronaldinho – but how about three generations of Ronaldinho’s DNA?
That’s the prospect facing world football as it has emerged that the Brazil legend’s footballer son is expecting a baby with his girlfriend.
Ronaldinho’s son is 19-year-old Burnley winger Joao Mendes and he is in a relationship with influencer Giovanna Buscacio, 25.
They haven’t shared many details about the child yet, but Buscacio did reveal the news to fans on social media.
‘Sixteen weeks and counting,’ she wrote to her 130,000-strong cohort of Instagram followers, captioning a photo of her with a hand on her belly. Buscacio added emojis of a baby and a milk bottle in case viewers had not already discerned her meaning.
For good measure, she then posted a photo of her and boyfriend Mendes kissing in a lift and wrote: ‘Mom and dad. Incomplete without you my love but we are already together.’
Ronaldinho is set to become a grandfather as his son Joao Mendes and his girlfriend Giovanna Buscacio are expecting a child
The Brazil legend scored a stunning free-kick against Real Madrid icons last week to prove he still has bags of talent – and now he could transmit that to the next generation
Buscacio shared the news with a series of photographs on Instagram with her 130,000 followers
‘I love you a lot, my darling,’ Mendes wrote in response, on the post which now appears to be deleted.
Mendes and Buscacio live in Manchester, with the footballer having departed Barcelona’s youth academy for Burnley over the summer. He plays for the Under-21s.
Ronaldinho is yet to comment on the news.
If the baby turns out to like football and needs any inspiration, they would do well to watch old clips of grandpa Ronaldinho – and he’s still got it aged 45.
Last week he rolled back the years with a sensational free kick for a Barcelona legends team against Real Madrid icons.
In a match dubbed the Legends of El Clasico, dozens of heroes who featured for both sides throughout their careers lined up in Qatar for a legends match that Barcelona ended up winning on penalties.
Over 31,000 fans were in attendance on Thursday to see Juan Pablo Sorin open the scoring on eight minutes after good work from Ludovic Giuly.
It was then Ronaldinho’s time. Famed for his flair, skills and dead ball efforts that made his career so successful, the now-44-year-old stepped up to take a free kick from around 20 yards out.
Ronaldinho’s son, Mendes, plays for Burnley’s U21s – and is featured on Buscacio’s Instagram feed in passionate lift photographs
He curled his effort over the wall and into the top corner of the goal on 16 minutes to make it 2-0, scoring from the effort as he did on 66 occasions throughout his professional career.
Madrid goalkeeper Francisco Buyo, 66, could only watch on and was rooted to the spot as the ball sailed into the top corner before the Brazilian was mobbed by his team-mates.
Those team-mates included the likes of Eric Abidal, Rivaldo, and David Villa. For Real Madrid, stars such as Luis Figo, Julio Baptista and Clarence Seedorf featured.
In total, Ronaldinho played 207 games for Barcelona, joining in 2003 from Paris Saint-Germain and leaving in 2008 for AC Milan.
