Ravenna owner explains why Ronaldinho is set to be ‘full-fledged player’ with the Serie C club

Ronaldinho announced earlier in the week that he was set to return to football in an off-the-field role with Serie C club Ravenna, yet this may have now changed according to the owner of the club.

The former Brazilian international last played professionally in 2015 with Brazilian club Fluminense, and at the age of 46, it appeared his role with Ravenna would be behind the scenes.

However, the owner has confirmed with Gazzetta dello Sport his intentions for the 2011 Serie A winner, as he expects him to make an appearance for his new club.

It had been believed that he would just be a stakeholder in the club and help to market it, as previously stated by its owner, Ignazio Cipriani.

However, he has now stated that Ronaldinho will feature in at least one Serie C game to hopefully score his final career goal at the club in his branded top.

Cipriani said: “He also wants to launch his own technical brand, R10, in the style of Michael Jordan, so Ravenna will be the first team to wear this brand. Ronaldinho will also join us, but he will be a full-fledged player. His goal is to score his last career goal while wearing the Ravenna jersey.

Ronaldinho

“He will attend the team presentation on August 21st. He won't be coming to the training camp, but he will certainly play in at least one league game, maybe even a few more. We'll see. We don't yet know when he'll be playing in the league; it will depend on several factors, but it will certainly be a home game."

Later in the interview, Cipriani spoke about his dream to make the club one that competes in Serie A and wanting to bring pride to his city.

The ambition of Ravenna and their owners has seen the club compared to Como 1907, as the side currently managed by Cesc Fabregas was last in Serie C in 2021, and within five years, they are now competing in the Champions League.

Cipriani believes the agreement with Ronaldinho could be just the start of their rise through the divisions, and he was quick to point out the difference between the two projects.

He said: “It's certainly something we're proud of, but the key difference is that our ownership is local and rooted in the area. Ravenna is my home, and my dream has always been to turn all the football-loving kids in the area into fans of our city's club. We have a lot of work to do, starting with the facilities.”