11 years since last game
Ronaldinho returns! Brazil icon ends retirement to sign for Italian side Ravenna aged 46
©IMAGO
Ronaldinho has marked a surprise return to football by signing with an Italian Serie C outfit. One of the stars of the 2002 World Cup, the former Brazil international has opted to come out of retirement and link up with obscurely-known team Ravenna, who play in the third tier of Italian football.
Stats
Ronaldinho
Left Winger
647
235
180
The Brazilian legend announced his retirement from football in 2018, although he had played since being released from his contract with Fluminense three years earlier. He had been knocking around the top divisions in North and South America, playing for Querétaro in Mexico after short spells with Atlético-MG and Flamengo in the Brasilerao.
But now, at the age of 46, the PSG and Barcelona icon is ready to write another chapter in his illustrious career. "I can hardly wait to dance with the ball again, to write a new story together with Ignazio and the entire Cipriani family," Ronaldinho told reporters. "Football has always been a source of joy for me, and I want to bring that spirit to Ravenna."
Club Comparison
Ravenna FC
Fluminense Football Club
Serie C – B
Série A
€5.29m
Market Value
€118.03m
Third Tier
League Level
First Tier
€70k
Expenditures 25/26
€36.45m
Andrea Mandorlini
Managers
Luis Zubeldía
Full Club Comparison
Ravenna honorary vice-president Ariedo Braida teased the deal as an 'extraordinary signing', hinting that his return to professional football could be on the cards. "Ronaldinho is a champion without age. He will be signed by Ravenna, and for a club like ours, it's an extraordinary signing," Braida told Italian agency Ansa. "In the next few days, there will be a presentation event for this incredible figure. Whether he'll play, we'll see, but it's not out of the question. As I repeat, a champion — and he is a champion — is ageless."
Will Ronaldinho play for Ravenna?
If the thought of a former player in his mid-40s returning to competitive football after 11 years without playing might seem far-fetched, that's because it probably is. Reports in Italy suggest Ronaldinho won't actually feature in any Serie C games when the 2026/27 season starts. Instead, he will be used as a marketing magnet to put Ravenna on the map and occasionally play in exhibition games on their behalf.
Braida, 80, was AC Milan's sporting director in 2008 when the Rossoneri signed the two-time Ballon d'Or winner from Barcelona. The pair have continued their friendship away from the game and, with entrepreneur Ignazio Cipriani showing his ambition to take the club from Emilia-Romagna in a new direction, it made sense to get a big name on board.
Ronaldinho is now a shareholder and will likely invest in the club as well as working as a brand ambassador. Fans would love nothing more than to see the ex-Ballon d'Or winner grace the pitch again, but for now it looks unlikely.
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