Brazilian legend Ronaldinho spoke in Miami about his potential return to the pitch after signing a contract at the age of 46 with Ravenna from the Italian Serie C.
Ronaldinho, who retired from professional football in 2015, described the decision as a “return to dancing with the ball“. He himself confirmed this during an event he organized during the break between matches at the World Cup in North America. Ravenna club president Ignazio Cipriani, an entrepreneur and owner of a hotel chain, described the transfer as “an exceptional moment“ for Ravenna. The club described Ronaldinho's return as "much more than a symbolic signing", and the event took place at the Cipriani Downtown Miami hotel - owned by the club's president.
“I can't wait to dance with the ball and write a new beautiful story with Ignazio Cipriani and the Cipriani family. Football has always been a joy for me and I'm excited to bring that spirit to Ravenna. Let the magic begin!“, the player said in a statement on the club's website.
Last season, the Emilia Romagna team returned from Serie D and tried to make consecutive promotions to Serie B, but remained in third place in the third-tier "B" stream, and in the playoffs suffered two defeats in the second round against Salernitana and were eliminated. Now, for the draw, a new attack is coming to the second level.
Ronaldinho played his last professional match in 2015 for Fluminense. A little over two years later, he officially ended his career. The extravagant striker was twice voted FIFA Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005. He also won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006 and the World Cup with Brazil in 2002.
Among his greatest achievements is being twice named FIFA World Player of the Year, and in his career he was twice champion of Spain, once of Italy with Milan, has titles in Brazil with his native Gremio, with Atletico Mineiro and Fluminense, as well as 97 matches and 33 goals for the Brazilian national team over 14 years.