Ronaldinho returns in search of 'beautiful' 300th goal

RAVENNA, Italy — Former Brazil star Ronaldinho, who retired from the game in 2015, said on Thursday (Friday, Manila time) that he was making a comeback 11 years later with Italian third-division side Ravenna to try and score "a 300th goal".

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.

"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.

"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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.