Ronaldinho returns for Barca ambassador role

Barcelona (AFP) – Spanish giants Barcelona announced legendary former player Ronaldinho will return to act as an ambassador for the club on Thursday.

The Brazilian, who won the World Player of the Year twice as well as two La Liga titles and the 2005/06 Champions League with Barca in five years at the Camp Nou, has not played since a short spell at Fluminense came to an end in September 2015.

Barca initially announced a 10-year deal had been agreed, but issued a revised statement without a definitive timeframe for the agreement. 

“FC Barcelona and Ronaldinho have reached an agreement whereby the Brazilian will become a Club ambassador and representative at various events and activities over the coming years,” Barca said in the revised statement.

Ronaldinho, 36, will also be part of a Barca legends team that will play exhibition matches across the world.

On top of the trophies and 91 goals he scored in 198 appearances for Barca, Ronaldinho’s time in the Catalan capital is fondly remembered for his outrageous array of skills and broad smile with which he often graced the pitch.

His arrival from Paris Saint-Germain in 2003 also heralded a shift in power in Spanish football as he took a teenage Lionel Messi under his wing.

In the 14 years since, Barca have won four Champions Leagues and eight La Liga titles to Real Madrid’s two European crowns and three domestic titles.