Eleven years after his last professional match, Ronaldinho is joining Italian third-tier side Ravenna FC at 46. But what's actually behind this deal?
There are footballers whose highlight reels still rack up millions of views years after they've retired. Ronaldinho tops that list: no-look passes, stepovers at full sprint, and that easy grin. His style of play was the definition of Joga Bonito.
Now, at 46 and eleven years after his last professional match, that same player is returning to professional football. Ronaldinho is joining Italian third-tier side Ravenna FC, and this move has more layers than the shirt number alone suggests.
Ronaldinho's Comeback at Ravenna: The Facts of the Transfer
The signing was announced back in June, notably not in Italy but at an event in Miami. On 20th August, Ronaldinho landed by private jet at Forlì airport, signed autographs, and was brought on stage last at the team presentation in front of thousands of fans, wearing number 10 and officially registered as a Serie C player.
Ronaldinho played his last professional match in 2015 for Fluminense, and in 2018 his brother publicly announced his official retirement. Whether and when an actual appearance happens remains open. The club's stated goal: Ronaldinho wants to score his final goal as a professional in a Ravenna shirt. “Let the magic begin,” he said.
Shareholder, Investor, Brand Ambassador: The Business Side of the Deal
Behind the move is club president Ignazio Cipriani, born in Ravenna, a hotel entrepreneur who has lived in the US for over 20 years. According to the club, Ronaldinho has been one of his football heroes since childhood. The club itself has called it “far more than a symbolic signing.”
Ronaldinho's role, in fact, goes well beyond that of a player: he's set to become a shareholder, invest in the club, and serve as brand ambassador driving the Serie C side's international growth. In parallel, he's building his own sports brand, R10, with Michael Jordan's playbook clearly in mind. The club is already marketing the new arrival: his number 10 shirt is available at the club's online store.
Ronaldinho's Comeback: Marketing Move or Dream?
You can read this transfer soberly: a third-division club buys worldwide attention through a big name, while Ronaldinho invests in a club whose success he'll now share in as a shareholder. Purely as a business deal, both sides benefit, there's little romance in that on paper.
And yet: when one of the sport's greatest artists takes the pitch one more time at 46, hoping to give himself one last goal, it amounts to more than just a clever deal. And honestly, we'd love to see that goal.
