Ronaldinho, 46, comes out of retirement to play for Italian third-division club Ravenna FC

Football icon Ronaldinho is returning to the pitch at 46, signing with Italian third-division club Ravenna FC. The Brazilian great, who last played professionally in 2015, aims to inspire a new generation of players and fulfill his own dreams.

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Throughout all these years, the friendship we have with the (Cipriani) family and with all the friends, ⁠now this opportunity has come up. So I'm extremely happy and ‌we hope things go well.

Ronaldinho expressed his "extremely happy" feelings about the move, citing a long-standing friendship with the Cipriani family, who own Ravenna. "We share very similar ideas and that's why we're doing this together," he told Reuters, highlighting a mutual desire for the club's success.

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We've been friends for many years, so it was something ‌simple, direct and easy. We both want Ravenna to do very well, for things ‌to go well. We share very similar ideas and that's why we're doing this together.

The club's owner, Ignazio Cipriani, who bought Ravenna in 2024 with ambitions of reaching Serie A, sees Ronaldinho's arrival as a fulfillment of a childhood dream. Cipriani believes the Brazilian's iconic style inspired him and his generation, and that his presence will significantly boost the club's profile and bring joy to the town.

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I hope it (the impact) is in the most positive way possible, right? That ‌others will also be motivated to continue and have the opportunity to fulfil their dreams, just as I have fulfilled mine. So I ⁠hope it has a positive impact.

While Ravenna is a modest club with a stadium capacity of just over 12,000, Ronaldinho's global recognition has thrust it into the spotlight. His return is expected to provide "an extreme level of PR" and potentially elevate the team's standing.

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He just inspired me and my whole generation to fall in love with the sport because of the things he did that were so different from everybody else who played. So it was always a dream and an inspiration to play like him.