Ronaldinho returns in search of ‘beautiful’ 300th goal

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Former Brazil star Ronaldinho, who retired from the game in 2015, said on Thursday that he was making a comeback 11 years later with Italian third-division side Ravenna to try and score “a 300th goal”.

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The 46-year-old, who won the World Cup in 2002 and the Ballon d’Or in 2005, ended a glittering career when he played his last official match in September 2015 with Brazilian club Fluminense.

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“I’m very happy to be here with friends, we have a team that can do something good,” said the former Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and AC Milan playmaker on the sidelines of his presentation on a beach in Ravenna.

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“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.

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

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Ronaldinho’s comeback was announced in June on the sidelines of the World Cup in Miami by Ignazio Cipriani, an Italian-American businessman and owner of the club since 2024.

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“His objective is romantic, to try to score his last goal,” said Cipriani on Thursday.

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“His involvement is not a token gesture or a marketing stunt to get people talking about us.”

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Cipriani added that Ronaldinho, who scored 33 goals in his 97 apearances for Brazil, would become a shareholder in the club and would not play against Reggiana on Monday in the Serie C season opener.

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Ravenna finished third in Group B of last season’s third-division championship and are aiming for a return to Serie B, where they haven’t played since 2008.

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AFP

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