{"id":862484,"date":"2026-08-20T22:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T22:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/862484\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T22:08:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T22:08:10","slug":"ronaldinho-46-on-mission-of-love-and-happiness-and-maybe-goals-at-serie-cs-ravenna-ronaldinho","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/862484\/","title":{"rendered":"Ronaldinho, 46, on mission of love and happiness \u2013 and maybe goals \u2013 at Serie C\u2019s Ravenna | Ronaldinho"},"content":{"rendered":"

It seemed like a joke, a hoax, when at 10pm on 19 June, Ravenna broke the news of Ronaldinho\u2019s signing<\/a>. The Brazilian, a former Ballon d\u2019Or winner and one of the most recognisable figures in world football, had played his last official match in 2015 for Fluminense; a professional signing in Serie C at 46 years of age seemed unrealistic, to say the least. With football\u2019s attention taken by the World Cup, the game was shocked by this bolt from the blue. For the most part, it remained in disbelief.<\/p>\n

There was much discussion, in the city and around the world, about the real value of this operation, and we talked about it too, speaking with the mayor, the fans, and the president of Ravenna, Ignazio Cipriani, scion of the family known globally for Harry\u2019s Bar, who is giving his city much more than a dream.<\/p>\n

A dream that materialised, dispelling any doubts, at 11.50am on Thursday, when Ronaldinho<\/a>, in a floral shirt and Bermuda shorts, with his now-familiar flat cap on his head, walked down the steps of the private jet that brought him from Milan Linate to the runway of Forl\u00ec airport. It is all true, all real. From there, he went on to the customary medical, like a true footballer. Ronaldinho is becoming a partner in the Ravenna club, as explained by the president, but he will also do his part on the pitch, with the dream of scoring the final goal of his career in the yellow-and-red jersey.<\/p>\n

Then came the quick press conference, organised by the ownership at the Monaldina, the historic residence of the Gardini-Ferruzzi entrepreneurial family, the maternal dynasty from which Cipriani descends. There were few questions and hushed answers, very few words carefully chosen by Ronaldinho, who with his customary smile and gentle manners truly seems to have stepped back in time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Milan derby is the most beautiful memory of my previous Italian experience,\u201d began the former Barcelona and Milan No 10, before clarifying what drove him to Romagna: \u201cFriendship and passion are the keys that brought me back here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He then clarified his goals in Ravenna: \u201cTo help, to excite the other players, and to have a spectacular season. To win, if possible.\u201d Regarding his possible presence on the pitch, he explained: \u201cIf a goal comes, my experience in Ravenna will become even more beautiful, but whether I will actually play will be decided by the president and the coach.\u201d<\/p>\n

What does he think of the enthusiasm of Ravenna, a city that has literally gone crazy for him? Ronaldinho smiled and replied: \u201cI just arrived, but I have a great desire to live this experience with the whole city.\u201d His mission, he had already declared, is to bring happiness and love.<\/p>\n

Echoing his words and capturing the essence of the city\u2019s excitement was Ariedo Braida. Almost enunciating every word, the veteran executive summarised the operation with a striking remark: \u201cWe have the magic of football in Ravenna, what more could we ask for?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ronaldinho salutes onlookers but he will not participate in Ravenna\u2019s opening Serie C game on Monday. Photograph: Massimo Paolone\/LaPresse\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

The former Milan and Barcelona director also recalled the opinion expressed by Kevin-Prince Boateng in 2016, according to which Ronaldinho holds the top spot in a ranking that also includes Pel\u00e9, Maradona, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.<\/p>\n

Closing the circle was Cipriani himself, who revealed the behind-the-scenes of the miracle, after clarifying: \u201cRonaldinho is in shape.\u201d When asked how he convinced the Brazilian champion, the answer was identical to that of the player: \u201cFriendship and passion.\u201d Cipriani then confirmed Ronaldinho\u2019s entry as a shareholder in Ravenna FC, insisting on the profound meaning of the corporate move: \u201cIt\u2019s not just about marketing, it\u2019s not just international visibility. It is the chance to create a new enthusiasm around the club and the yellow-and-red jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then the party began, organised in grand style on a stage set up on the beach at Marina di Ravenna, featuring the presentation of the entire Ravenna squad. The club\u2019s president does not hide the ambition of a rapid climb to Serie B, with his sights set on the top flight. The star of the event, needless to say, was the Brazilian star, who for the first time presented himself before his new people, those Ravenna fans who back in June were curious, sceptical, or in disbelief.<\/p>\n

Every doubt was dispelled on the beach of the ancient Byzantine capital, which today, with the arrival of the former Ballon d\u2019Or winner, can truly dream big.<\/p>\n

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In living memory, the Romagnol city has never been talked about so much all over the world.<\/p>\n

Ronaldinho\u2019s unexpected comeback has captured fans\u2019 imaginations, with 2,700 season tickets sold. Photograph: Stefano Rellandini\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The fans didn\u2019t just show up on the beach to celebrate their new idol, they also did so at the box office: the \u201cRonaldinho effect\u201d has led to over 2,700 season tickets sold for Ravenna\u2019s Serie C campaign, which kicks off on Monday in Reggio Emilia.<\/p>\n

Ronaldinho, as confirmed by Cipriani, will not take part in the away match, but the fans hope to soon see him wearing the No 10 jersey, which was handed to him upon his arrival in Ravenna by the head coach, Andrea Mandorlini.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you very much,\u201d are the words Ronaldinho dedicated to his celebrating people, while a child climbing the scaffolding of the giant screen shouted: \u201cI saw him!\u201d<\/p>\n

He saw him at 46 years old, they had told him stories about him. Perhaps he will see him play again. This is the magic of football.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It seemed like a joke, a hoax, when at 10pm on 19 June, Ravenna broke the news of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":862485,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,596,85],"class_list":["post-862484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-football","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=862484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/862485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=862484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=862484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=862484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}