Ronaldinho, 46, unveiled by Ravenna in Serie C comeback
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Ronaldinho signed with Italian third-division side Ravenna in a surprise June announcement and was unveiled Thursday at a beachside ceremony in front of roughly 6,000 fans waving flags and holding flares despite intermittent rain.
- Ravenna dubbed the event 'Ronaldinho day,' with The Script's 'Hall of Fame' playing as the 46-year-old walked out wearing the club's No. 10 shirt for the upcoming Serie C season.
- Ronaldinho arrived by private jet at nearby Forlì Airport — about 30 kilometers from Ravenna — where he signed soccer balls for airport staff before being driven off the runway, accompanied by Ravenna President Ignazio Cipriani of the Cipriani restaurant brand.
- Ronaldinho will not feature in Ravenna's opening Serie C match Monday at Reggio Emilia, telling reporters 'it depends on the president and coach' when asked when fans could see him on the field.
- President Cipriani has said it is his dream for Ronaldinho to score his final career goal for Ravenna, to which the Brazilian replied, 'If that happens even better, no?'
- Ronaldinho last played professionally for Fluminense in 2015; his new spell at Ravenna is his second in Italy after a 2008-11 stint at AC Milan, and comes a decade after he retired from the sport.
Why it matters: Ronaldinho hasn't played a professional match since 2015, and his own hedged comments ('I don't know,' 'let's wait and see') underscore that this is more spectacle than confirmed playing return. Ravenna President Cipriani is the driving force — he's the one who engineered the signing and publicly dreams of a farewell goal — meaning the club's commercial ambitions, not sporting need, are dictating the move.
Ask SkimNews
