Why Barcelona, Brazil Legend Ronaldinho Has Ended Retirement After a Decade
More than 4,000 days after his last appearance for Fluminense, Ronaldinho is preparing to return to professional football with Ravenna. At 46, the Brazilian’s comeback brings together promotion ambitions, a business venture and a familiar desire to entertain.
Before a grinning Brazilian Ballon d’Or winner rolled into town, Ravenna was an Italian city most commonly associated with Dante’s tomb. The poet’s epitaph describes his soul as “a guest unto a better camp,” now “happier than the stars.” The end of Ronaldinho’s football career has proved rather less permanent.
The former Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and AC Milan superstar will take to the pitch in Italy’s third tier for Ravenna FC on Sunday. Manager Andrea Mandorlini has confirmed that the 46-year-old playmaker will start against Forli as the club continue their pursuit of promotion.
“He is one of the greatest players of the modern era,” Mandorlini said. “And we have to get a result. We always play with three forwards. He will be one of the three.”
Fitness was never Ronaldinho’s most celebrated asset, even at his mid-2000s peak. Over the past decade, the World Cup winner has spent more nights in a Paraguayan prison than on a professional football pitch. He did, however, score five goals and set up another six in a prison-yard match that earned his team a suckling pig.
Sunday offers a very different prize: a chance to score his 300th professional goal and another spell in the spotlight.
The return: Ravenna vs. Forli
- Date
- Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026
- Venue
- Stadio Comunale Bruno Benelli
- Ravenna, Italy
- Kickoff
- 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. UK
Ronaldinho has made fans wait longer before. His Barcelona debut in 2003 kicked off five minutes past midnight, allowing the club to fit in the fixture while complying with FIFA rules during an awkwardly timed international break. Supporters who stayed up were served free gazpacho at Camp Nou—and a memorable debut goal.
His shot crashed off the underside of the crossbar, followed by a roar whose reverberations, along with those of the strike, registered on the seismometer at the Observatori Fabra, 2.8 miles away. “It had to work,” Ronaldinho later reflected. “Midnight is my time.”
Those filling the expanded stands at the Stadio Comunale Bruno Benelli will only have to wait until the afternoon.
Where to watch the comeback
Just 289 fans attended Ravenna’s previous fixture, a 3–1 away win over FC Vado. Ronaldinho’s return promises a much larger audience, with broadcasts available in the United States, the United Kingdom and globally.
| Audience | TV or live stream |
|---|---|
| United States | Paramount+ |
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports Football YouTube channel |
| Global | R10 Comeback channel on Kick |
The match will also be streamed on Ronaldinho’s dedicated R10 Comeback channel without a geographical restriction, extending the spectacle beyond the club’s usual audience.
Why Ravenna—and why now?
For Ravenna, the attraction is clear. Ronaldinho brings attention that a third-tier club would struggle to generate on its own, along with an emotional connection to fans who remember his best years.
“I hope his involvement inspires a new generation of supporters to fall in love with Ravenna,” owner Ignazio Cipriani said at the Brazilian’s unveiling.
The heir to the Cipriani restaurant dynasty took over in 2024 and wants to replicate Como’s rise. Ravenna have already climbed from Serie D to Serie C under his ownership and currently sit second in the third tier.
“It’s not a provocation. Serie A is the goal I declared from day one because I intend to reach it,” Cipriani told The Guardian earlier this year. “And the Champions League remains the ultimate horizon we want to walk toward.”
Ronaldinho became involved through connections dating back to his AC Milan spell from 2008 to 2011.
“We met through Lorenzo Tonetti and Ariedo Braida,” Cipriani explained, “two people who worked for over 20 years at AC Milan and had Ronaldinho as a player. The idea of involving him was a dream I cultivated as soon as I bought the club. Thanks to Lorenzo and Ariedo, we met, started talking, and a genuine friendship grew. From that relationship came many ideas for the club’s growth.”
There is a commercial dimension, too. Advised by his older brother Assis, Ronaldinho has been involved in a range of business partnerships since leaving professional football, with varying degrees of success. Ravenna offers another avenue for those ambitions.
“He also wants to launch his technical brand, R10, in the style of Michael Jordan, if you will, so Ravenna will be the first team to wear this brand,” Cipriani told Gazzetta dello Sport. “Ronaldinho will also join our club’s management but will be, to all intents and purposes, a player.”
The comeback also reflects a lingering attachment to the game. Ronaldinho’s playing career lasted until he was 35; eleven years later, the desire to return to the ball has endured.
“I cannot wait to dance with the ball. Football has always been joyful for me, and I’m excited to bring that spirit to Ravenna. Let the magic begin!”
