Brazil great Ronaldinho said he hopes he can score his 300th career goal after announcing a comeback at the age of 46 at Italian third-tier side Ravenna.
Thousands of fans gathered at a city beach for an event dubbed “Ronaldinho Day”, enduring rain to witness the unveiling of the former Paris St-Germain, Barcelona and AC Milan playmaker, who retired from playing in 2015.
“I’m very happy to be here with friends, we have a team that can do something good,” said Ronaldinho, who will become a shareholder in the Serie C side.
“Will you see me play? I don’t know, only the coach knows that. Coming back to Italy is wonderful, I’m here to help my teammates win.
“As you can see, I’m in shape, I feel good… If I could score my 300th goal, that would be even more beautiful.”
Ronaldinho ended his career in September 2015 when he played his last official match with Brazilian club Fluminense.
He won the World Cup in 2002, scoring the winning goal in the quarter-final against England, and the Ballon d’Or in 2005.
The forward’s comeback was first announced in June by Ignazio Cipriani, an Italian-American businessman and owner of the club since 2024, while he was attending the World Cup in Miami.
“His objective is romantic, to try to score his last goal,” said Cipriani on Thursday.
“His involvement is not a token gesture or a marketing stunt to get people talking about us.”
Cipriani added that Ronaldinho would not play against Reggiana on Monday in the Serie C season opener.
Ravenna finished third in Group B of last season’s third-tier championship and are seeking a return to Serie B, where they haven’t played since 2008.