Ronaldinho, 46, Lands in Italy to Join Third-Tier Ravenna
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- Ronaldinho signed with Italian third-tier side Ravenna in a surprise June announcement and was presented Thursday — dubbed "Ronaldinho day" — at a beachside ceremony in front of around 6,000 fans waving flags and flares despite intermittent rain.
- Ravenna President Ignazio Cipriani, of the Cipriani restaurant brand, accompanied Ronaldinho from Forlì Airport (~30 km away) and has publicly stated his dream for the Brazilian to score his last career goal for the club.
- Ronaldinho will not feature in Ravenna's opening Serie C match Monday at Reggio Emilia and told reporters "I don't know" when asked when fans could see him on the field, deferring to "the president and coach."
- Ronaldinho last played professionally for Fluminense in 2015, making this his return to Italian football after a spell at AC Milan from 2008-11.
- Ronaldinho won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and the Ballon d'Or in 2005, and was serenaded with The Script's "Hall of Fame" as he walked onstage to take the No. 10 shirt.
Why it matters: For a third-tier Italian club from a city better known for its beaches than its soccer team, landing a 46-year-old Ballon d'Or winner is primarily a commercial spectacle: the 6,000-fan beachside unveiling and the president's stated dream of a farewell goal frame this as a marketing event rather than a competitive revival, and Ronaldinho's own "I don't know" on playing time underlines the ambiguity.
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