Ronaldinho returns to the field after 11 years, a new chapter in Italy's third division at the age of 46

He announced his retirement in 2018. However, his last match in professional football was almost three years ago. This time, after a long 11 years, Brazilian legend Ronaldinho is waiting to return to professional football. At the age of 46, the 2002 World Cup winner has joined Italian third division club Ravenna.

On Thursday, the club officially introduced Ronaldinho on a beach in Ravenna, Italy. Despite the continuous rain, about 6,000 spectators were present. This special event was named 'Ronaldinho Day'. The Brazilian legend took a picture with Ravenna's number 10 jersey at the event.

Ronaldinho's last professional match was for Brazilian club Fluminense in September 2015. Then, he officially announced his retirement in January 2018. Although he has played in various exhibition matches and futsal since then, he has been away from professional football for so long.

This time, the same Ronaldinho is waiting to return to competitive football. After joining Ravenna, he said, "I'm very happy to be here with my friends. We have a team that can do something good."

However, his playing for Ravenna is not yet certain. When asked about this, Ronaldinho replied, "I don't know if I will play or not. Only the coach knows. It feels great to be back in Italy. I'm here to help my teammates win."

However, he also has a personal goal. Ronaldinho wants to reach the milestone of his 300th career goal. He said, "You can see, I'm in good shape. I feel good. If I can score my 300th goal, it will be even better."

Ronaldinho has scored 33 goals for Brazil. In club football, he has scored 94 goals for Barcelona and 24 goals for AC Milan. Apart from that, the former Ballon d'Or winner has also played for clubs such as PSG, Gremio and Atletico Mineiro.

According to Brazilian media and Globo, Ronaldinho has scored 299 goals in 787 matches in his career. That means he needs just one more goal to reach the 300-goal milestone.

Ronaldinho's plans to return to Ravenna were first announced last June, during the 2026 World Cup in Miami. At that time, the club's Italian-American owner Ignacio Cipriani announced his plans to bring him to the team. Cipriani, who has been Ravenna's owner since 2024, also said that Ronaldinho could also buy shares in the club in the future.

For Cipriani, this return is basically a 'romantic' plan - Ronaldinho can score the last goal of his career in a Ravenna jersey. However, the club owner claims that this is not just a promotional strategy. In his words, 'This is not a marketing stunt to attract people's attention.'

Ravenna finished third in Group 'B' of Italy's third division last season. The club is now aiming to return to Italy's second division, Serie B, after a 2008 relegation.

Ravenna's first match of the new season is against Reggiana on Monday. However, Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Ronaldinho is unlikely to be on the field for that match.