Ronaldinho touched down in Italy on Thursday ahead of his official presentation as a new player for Ravenna, the Serie C club that shocked the football world by signing the Brazilian legend as part of an international expansion strategy.
The 46-year-old arrived at Forlì Airport from Milan, greeting fans with his trademark “shaka” gesture, the same city where he spent two and a half seasons at AC Milan earlier in his career.
According to beIN Sports, the move is primarily tied to commercial and brand-development goals for the club, which was acquired in 2024 by Italian businessman Ignazio Cipriani as part of a project that also includes partnerships with Nike and Black Duck. Still, Ravenna has confirmed that Ronaldinho is expected to play in at least one official match during the season, though no debut date has been set yet.
The signing was first announced back in June with a presentation event in Miami, where Ronaldinho made his intentions clear: “Football has always been joy for me and I’m excited to bring that spirit to Ravenna. Let the magic begin!” Now, with his arrival in Italy, that long-anticipated return is finally taking shape.
Ronaldinho’s last professional match and career recap
Ronaldinho’s last official appearance as a professional came in 2015 with Fluminense, the Brazilian club where he closed out his playing days after scoring his final professional goal against Gremio on August 23 of that year. Though he never officially played again, his retirement wasn’t formally confirmed until January 2018, when his agent announced it nearly three years later.
see also
Christian Pulisic’s Milan gets unexpected major payday as Tijjani Reijnders joins Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Pro League
Across his career, Ronaldinho built one of the most iconic résumés in the sport’s history, starting out at Gremio in his native Brazil (1998-2001) before moving to Europe with Paris Saint-Germain (2001-2003).
His most successful spell came at FC Barcelona (2003-2008), where he reached the best form of his entire career, winning two LaLiga titles and the 2006 Champions League while collecting the Ballon d’Or in 2005.
He then joined AC Milan (2008-2011), winning a Serie A title, before returning to Brazil for spells with Flamengo (2011-2012) and Atletico Mineiro (2012-2014), followed by a brief stint in Mexico with Queretaro (2014-2015) and finally Fluminense (2015), where his professional career came to a close.
