Ronaldinho has ended his retirement from professional football at the age of 46, signing with Italian Serie C outfit Ravenna FC in a move that has captured the imagination of the football world, even if the prospect of the Brazilian legend actually taking to the pitch remains uncertain.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward, who last played professionally for Fluminense in 2015, will be officially unveiled by the club in the coming days. Ravenna play in the third tier of Italian football in the town of the same name in northern Italy, not far from Bologna.
Ronaldinho hinted at a playing role in his first public comments since the signing was confirmed. “New colours, same smile. I can’t wait to get back to dancing on the ball and write a new story together with Ignazio and the entire Cipriani family. Football has always been a source of joy for me, and I want to bring that same spirit to Ravenna.”
Ravenna honorary vice-president Ariedo Braida, who was AC Milan’s sporting director when the club signed Ronaldinho from Barcelona in 2008, described the deal in glowing terms. “Ronaldinho is a champion without age. For a club like ours, it’s an extraordinary signing. Whether he’ll play, we’ll see, but it’s not out of the question. A champion — and he is a champion — is ageless.”
However, reports in Italy suggest Ronaldinho is unlikely to feature in competitive Serie C matches when the 2026-27 season begins. Instead, he is expected to serve primarily as a marketing figure and brand ambassador, raising Ravenna’s profile and appearing in exhibition matches on the club’s behalf. He is also understood to have become a shareholder in the club, with entrepreneur Ignazio Cipriani having shown ambition to take the Emilia-Romagna outfit in a new direction.
Ronaldinho’s career spanned some of the most celebrated clubs in world football. After beginning in Brazil, he won the Champions League and two La Liga titles at Barcelona, a Serie A title at AC Milan, and the World Cup with Brazil in 2002. He was awarded the Ballon d’Or twice, in 2004 and 2005, and retired in 2018 having formally announced his departure from the game three years after his last professional appearance.
He was spotted in Philadelphia on 20 June watching Brazil’s 3-0 World Cup victory over Haiti, the country he helped conquer the world with 24 years ago.
