Ronaldinho's 14-year-old son Joao Mendes signs for Cruzeiro

The training deal sees the teenage forward contracted to the Brazilian club until the age of 19, as he aims to follow in his famous father’s footsteps by making a professional career.

Mendes had already been playing for the Cruzeiro youth team and has now been handed a pathway to the senior team.

"Today, we signed the contract of Joao Mendes, who is a promising player with interesting characteristics and who, I believe, will soon be integrating with our professional team," Ribeiro told Cruzeiro's website.

Cruzeiro director Amarildo Ribeiro said: "He is a tall player with high technical quality. A player who can play both as a box player and as a second striker.

“He is a player who, even with his size, has speed and finishes very well."