Brazil Legend Ronaldinho, 46, Comes Out of Retirement With One Clear Mission

It appears fans have yet to see the last of Ronaldinho’s magic on the soccer pitch.

The 46-year-old sent shockwaves around the world in June when it was announced that he had reached an agreement to join Italian third-tier side Ravenna, for which he is also a part of the ownership group. The club’s vice president, Ariedo Braida, dispelled any notion of Ronaldinho actually take the pitch for the team, though, stating at the time: “Ronaldinho will do a marketing event with us but will not play for Ravenna in Serie C next season.”

The script has now seemingly flipped, with the Brazilian legend setting the record straight during his club unveiling at a Ravenna beach on Thursday, an event dubbed “Ronaldinho Day.” The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner, who officially retired in 2015, plans to lace up his boots again with one specific piece of motivation propelling him forward.

“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,” Ronaldinho said at Thursday’s event.

“As you can see, I'm in shape, I feel good ... If I could score my 300th goal, that would be even more beautiful.”

Ignazio Cipriani, who leads Ravenna’s ownership group, reaffirmed Ronaldinho’s mission. “This is not window dressing or a marketing stunt,” he said on Thursday. “Ronaldinho will become a shareholder in Ravenna FC. That is the central point of the operation.

“He has also chosen to make an extraordinary gift to the city and to his new club: he will take to the pitch for Ravenna in an official professional match, with one clear and romantic aim — to try to score the final goal of his career.”

How Close Is Ronaldinho to 300th-Goal Mark?

Ronaldinho has dominated the sport at its greatest heights, individually and with his teams, to cement his place among the best to ever play the game. He led Brazil to Copa América victory in 1999, before winning the 2002 World Cup, in which he scored the pivotal game-winner in the quarterfinal against England.

Ronaldinho also starred for Paris Saint-Germain (2001–03), Barcelona (2003–08) and AC Milan (2008–11) in Europe, amassing back-to-back La Liga titles (2004–05, 2005–06), back-to-back Spanish Super Cups (2005–06, 2006–07), one Champions League title (2005–06) and one Serie A title (2010–2011), before returning to Brazilian Serie A, where he had spent the earliest years of his career.

The soccer legend may be well-decorated, but he has his sights on one final milestone: his 300th career goal. Ronaldinho’s total goal tally is a disputed number, with Transfermarkt listing it as 267 across club and international play. Multiple other sources, though, list Ronaldinho as having 266 goals at the club level and 33 with the Brazilian national team, bringing him just one shy from his coveted mark.

When Could Ronaldinho Make His Debut?

ronaldinho waving — Ronaldinho has his sights on the big number 300. | Stefano RELLANDINI/AFP/Getty Images

Cipriani affirmed that Ronaldinho would not feature in Ravenna’s Serie A opener on Monday against Reggiana, having also missed preseason play.

Ravenna, however, return to action on August 29 against Latina, where Ronaldinho could make a cameo appearance.

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