Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho posed on stage with Ravenna FC jersey next to the club's president, Ignazio Cipriani, during a presentation in Marina di Ravenna on August 20, 2026. Ronaldinho, a former Ballon d'Or winner and World Cup champion, is coming out of retirement at 46 to play for Ravenna in Italy’s third division.
Ronaldinho retired in 2015. Now, he wants to score his 300th goal after being away from the game for 11 years. He last played an official match in September 2015 with Brazilian team Fluminense.
“I’m very happy to be here with friends, we have a team that can do something good,” Ronaldinho said during his presentation at the beach in Ravenna. “Will you see me play? I don’t know, only the coach knows that. Coming back to Italy is wonderful, I’m here to help my teammates win.
“As you can see, I’m in shape, I feel good… If I could score my 300th goal, that would be even more beautiful.”
Ignazio Cipriani, an Italian-American businessman who owns the club since 2024, announced Ronaldinho's return in June during the World Cup in Miami. “His objective is romantic, to try to score his last goal,” Cipriani said on Thursday. “His involvement is not a token gesture or a marketing stunt to get people talking about us.”
Cipriani explained that Ronaldinho, who scored 33 goals in 97 matches for Brazil, will become a shareholder in the club. However, he will not play against Reggiana on Monday in the Serie C season opener.
Ravenna finished third in Group B of last season’s third-division championship. The team aims to return to Serie B, a league they haven't competed in since 2008.
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