PanARMENIAN.Net – Ronaldinho launched a Barcelona academy for about 1,000 students in China on Friday, February 24 as the world’s most populous nation pursues its grand ambitions in the world’s most popular sport, AFP reports.

The Barcelona and Brazil great and club president Josep Maria Bartomeu met children and toured the site at the Mission Hills golf complex on Hainan island, which will have seven pitches when it opens later this year.

The academy, which will also serve as a training centre for China’s national team and top clubs, is one of tens of thousands of facilities expected in the coming years as China strives to become a football superpower.

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