Player or investor? Ronaldinho's latest surprise move in 🇮🇹

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·22 August 2026

Player or investor? Ronaldinho's latest surprise move in 🇮🇹

At 46, Ronaldinho Gaúcho is back in European football.

The Brazilian star was unveiled as the new signing of Ravenna FC, a club in Italy’s third division (Serie C).

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The welcoming event brought the small town of Marina di Ravenna to a standstill, attracting more than 6,000 people to a huge beach party.

R10’s return to Italian football, 15 years after leaving Milan, is not limited to what happens on the pitch.

The project is ambitious and splits the star’s role across different fronts, according to a report by O Globo.

Shareholder and Ambassador: Ronaldinho arrives as a key figure in the restructuring of the modest club. He is part of the ownership group alongside businessman Ignazio Cipriani, the team’s owner.
The Search for the 300th Goal: The main sporting and marketing appeal is the chance for Ronaldinho to score the 300th official goal of his career. Although there is no date yet for his debut, the player said he is in good physical condition, but left the decision to field him in the hands of coach Andrea Mandorlini.
The "Ronaldinho-mania Effect": The commercial impact is already a reality. Ravenna has sold more than 3,000 shirts of the Brazilian player (now with a Nike partnership) and recorded the renewal of more than 1,000 season tickets for the campaign.

Founded in 1913, the club from the Emilia-Romagna region has gone through deep financial crises and sporting scandals over the past decade.

The turning point began in 2024, when Cipriani took control, transferred 50% of the shares to the technology fund Black Duck, and secured promotion from Serie D to Serie C.

The future project even includes the construction of a new stadium, since the current one (Bruno Benelli) is under renovation and operating with reduced capacity.

This is not the first time Ronaldinho has invested in football. In 2024, his company joined the ownership group of Greenville Triumph, a club in the United States’ second-tier league (USL).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 STEFANO RELLANDINI - AFP or licensors