'I was a Chelsea ballboy before going to the Olympics - now I work with Ronaldinho's son'

A former ballboy who enjoyed a long career in the and played at the is now working with Ronaldinho's son in the EFL. Jack Cork hung up his boots at the end of last season after a seven-year spell with . Now, he is back as an academy coach and has been working with some top talent.

One of the next generation stars Cork has high hopes for is Joao Mendes, the son of Brazilian legend Ronaldinho. He joined Burnley last year, swapping Barcelona's famed La Masia academy for the allure of Turf Moor. The 20-year-old has featured regularly at youth level for the Clarets this season and looks to have a bright future in the game.

Explaining what it has been like working with Mendes, Cork told : "Joao's a great lad. Obviously, he's got a dad who's Ronaldinho, but I think coming to Burnley is a great thing for him to have to do.

"I think he's going out there trying to prove himself, trying to work hard. There's no better club for him to come to. If you think of clubs that have got work ethic and hard work, you've got to really crack on with it.

"He's here, and he's come in, he's applied himself 100 per cent every day. I've had no complaints. Hopefully, he hasn't. There's been an improvement with him the longer he's been here.

"It's just trying to treat him the same as all the other lads that are here. I think that's how he'd want to be treated as well, that he is treated the same as everybody else in spite of his famous lineage."

Cork was on the books of Chelsea as a youngster and worked as a ballboy during his time in their academy system. He failed to make a senior appearance for the Blues but enjoyed a stellar playing career, mostly with Southampton, Swansea City and Burnley.

He also played at the Olympics in 2012, being named as part of the Team GB football squad. They were unable to land a medal, though, bowing out at the hands of South Korea on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Cork, who came off the bench in all of Team GB's group stage matches, described the Games as 'one of the best experiences of my life'. He added: "I didn't get any shirts. I've got one home and one away shirt. I've got one left, but the rest I gave to family."