More than ten years after his last professional match, Ronaldinho is indeed returning to the soccer stage. At the Italian third-division club Ravenna Calcio, the global superstar is set to be much more than a “symbolic signing.”
What had been widely announced in recent days is now officially confirmed: Two-time World Player of the Year Ronaldinho is making a surprise return to the game and joining the Italian third-division club Ravenna Calcio. The long-established club and the 46-year-old Brazilian officially announced the news at an event in Miami.
Club president Ignazio Cipriani, an entrepreneur and hotel chain owner, described the transfer as an “extraordinary moment” for the club and its future development. The club, based in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, finished third in its Serie C division last season as a newly promoted team. In the playoffs, they were then eliminated by US Salernitana, thus missing out on promotion to Serie B.
Last professional match nearly eleven years ago
According to a club statement, Ronaldinho is said to be “far more than a symbolic signing.” The former world-class player has set his sights on scoring his final goal as a professional while wearing the Ravenna jersey, the statement said. “I can’t wait to dance with the ball again and write a new chapter together with Ignazio and the entire Cipriani family,” Ronaldinho said of his plans.
Ronaldinho played his last professional match to date in 2015 for Fluminense in his native Brazil. A little over two years later, he officially ended his career. Among his greatest achievements is being named World Player of the Year twice. He won the Champions League with FC Barcelona in 2006, and four years earlier he had won the World Cup with Brazil.
What role does former Milan executive Braida play?
Italy is already familiar with the global superstar from his time at AC Milan, where he was under contract from 2008 to January 2011 and scored 26 goals for the Rossoneri in 94 competitive matches. His new club last played in the second division during the 2007–08 season but subsequently fell into obscurity.
In 2024, Cipriani—who was born in Ravenna but has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years—acquired the club together with his investment partner Black Duck and assembled a new management team. Among them is another big name: Ariedo Braida. The longtime CEO and sporting director of AC Milan left his mark on the Rossoneri between 1986 and 2013 and was also responsible for bringing Ronaldinho from Barcelona to Lombardy back then.
The vice president recently left open the question of whether Ronaldinho would actually see any playing time: “We’ll see if he plays,” said Braida. “But it’s not out of the question.” In any case, the club’s management in Emilia-Romagna has pulled off a solid PR move with this signing.
