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Ronaldinho ‘comes out of retirement’ to sign for Italian football club

Published 11:55 20 Jun 2026 BST

Updated 12:01 20 Jun 2026 BST

Harry Warner
Ronaldinho ‘comes out of retirement’ to sign for Italian football club

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The legend is back!

Ronaldinho has come out of retirement at the age of 46 to sign for a third-tier Italian football team.

Yep, that's right- the Brazilian legend is coming out of retirement to sign for a Serie C side.

The return to the beautiful game comes 11 years after he first hung up the boots in 2015 after a brief spell at Fluminense.

The news was announced by Sky Sports who said he would be signing for Serie C team Ravenna.

However, while it would obviously be incredible to see the Brazil wizard back on the pitch working his magic, it seems that he might not get close to any actual action.

Conflicting reports have stated that while Ronaldinho has "signed" for the club, it comes more as a marketing role/publicity stunt.

As per The Sun, Ronaldinho said after signing: “New colours, same smile. I can’t wait to get back to dancing on the ball and write a new story together with Ignazio and the entire Cipriani family.

“Football has always been a source of joy for me, and I want to bring that same spirit to Ravenna.”

It comes as Ravenna owner Ignazio Cipriani revealed that Ronaldinho was his childhood idol.

He said: “I spent 24 years of my life in the United States, but I still consider Ravenna my home.

“Acquiring Ronaldinho is absolutely extraordinary for the club. He was my idol and his impact on football goes beyond what he did on the pitch.”

However, Ravenna honorary vice-president Ariedo Braida put out any rumours that Ronaldinho would be making any appearances in Serie C.

He told The Sun: “Ronaldinho will do a marketing event with us, but he won’t play for Ravenna in Serie C next season.

“I wish he were still able to play. Dinho was a phenomenon and was a wonderful player.

“I have a beautiful relationship with him from the Milan days, but he won’t play in Serie C with us.”

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