Welcome to Ravenna… A City Braced for Ronaldinho’s Brand of the Beautiful Game

Heard the one about the World Cup winner signing for a Serie C club that was playing non-professional football until a year ago?

This isn’t the opening line to a joke or the pitch for a Hollywood script. As of last week it is Ronaldinho’s new reality after the Brazilian legend was officially unveiled as Ravenna’s latest signing.

Yes, the Ronaldinho who won 97 caps for the Selecao and claimed the Ballon d’Or in 2005. The same one who lifted the Champions League and two Spanish league titles with Barcelona, the Scudetto with AC Milan and the Copa Libertadores with Atletico Mineiro.

And, yes, that Ravenna. The one promoted to Serie C just 12 months ago, who have never played in Serie A in their 113-year history.

“I cannot wait to dance with the ball,” Ronaldinho said after officially signing his contract in Miami last week. “Football has always been joyful for me, and I’m excited to bring that spirit to Ravenna. Let the magic begin!”

At this point, there are a few questions that need answering.

Why would Ronaldinho sign for a third-tier club in Italy 11 years after retiring? And isn’t Miami an incongruously glamorous location for a Serie C club to unveil a new signing?

The common denominator here is Ravenna president Ignazio Cipriani, whose family owns restaurants in Miami and New York, and who was instrumental in convincing Ronaldinho to sign.

Born in Ravenna, Cipriani grew up in the United States and bought a 50% stake in the club two years ago along with UK-based investment fund Black Duck.

“When I bought the club in 2024, my goal was to make the kids of Ravenna fall in love with football,” he said. “Ronaldinho is the definition of the beautiful game. I don’t think any other player inspires a passion for football the way he does, which is why having him on board is an absolute dream for us.”

Cipriani is adamant that Ronaldinho “will play at least one game for Ravenna” and that will be at home.

The Brazilian, who has joined Ravenna’s board, hasn’t played for a team since 2015 and turned 46 in March. While fans may have to wait to watch Ronaldinho pull on a Ravenna shirt, his new team-mates will wear his logo from next season.

Following in the footsteps of Michael Jordan, Ronaldinho is set to launch his own ‘R10’ brand in collaboration with Nike. Ravenna will become the first club to feature the R10 logo alongside the Swoosh, mirroring Paris Saint-Germain’s landmark partnership with the Jumpman brand since 2018.

Unsurprisingly, the Cipriani name will be the primary shirt sponsor on the new kit, which was styled by designer Giorgio Mallone.

So, is Ronaldinho’s arrival just a well-orchestrated publicity stunt? Not according to Cipriani.

“Ultimately, my goal isn’t financial,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “The decision to bring in Ronaldinho comes from the heart. We want to inspire local kids to fall in love with this sport and with Ravenna’s colours. “Of course, we’re fully aware that right now everyone is talking about our club.”

Ravenna have made headlines worldwide since the announcement. The club’s following on Instagram doubled within 24 hours of signing the Brazilian and currently stands at more than 60,000 – still a world away from Ronaldinho’s 79m followers.

Ravenna have been on an upward curve since Cipriani and Black Duck took over, finishing third in Group B last season before their play-off run ended against Salernitana in the quarter-finals.

Promotion to Serie B for the first time in almost two decades is the goal next season, but the Giallorossi remain ahead of the curve.

In the 16 years before Cipriani’s arrival, Ravenna had gone through four name changes, one bankruptcy and slipped all the way down to Eccellenza, the fifth tier of Italian football.

Now, in less than two months, they will officially introduce a Ballon d’Or winner along with the rest of the squad.

“Serie A is the ultimate dream, but we’re working to get there without taking any shortcuts,” Cipriani said last week.

So what can Ronaldinho expect from Ravenna, the place? History for a start. The Emilia-Romagna city has eight UNESCO World Heritage sites owing to one of the biggest and better preserved collections of early Christian and Byzantine mosaics.

The city was once the political centre of the western world, serving as the capital for the Western Roman Empire, the Ostrogothic Kingdom and later the Byzantine Empire.

Ravenna is also the resting place of Dante Alighieri, Italy’s Supreme Poet and author of The Divine Comedy, who was exiled from his native Florence and spent his final years in the city.

With its pedestrianised centre and cobblestone streets, these days Ravenna is widely known as a city of bicycles and art. Locals ride almost everywhere, while the Darsena district – a former industrial port area connected to the city centre – has been turned into a massive open-air gallery for street art, featuring stunning murals by famous international artists such as Invader and Millo.

Behind the scenes, there is more to Ravenna than the signing of Ronaldinho. A new training centre is expected to be finished in January, while the Stadio Bruno Benelli, the club’s home for the past 60 years, is undergoing a major facelift. Plans for a new stadium are also being worked on.

“We would like to build a brand-new stadium complete with offices and a Cipriani Hotel,” Cipriani said. “The Ronaldinho project is just the beginning, we have so many ideas and massive ambitions.”

As far as beginnings go, signing a World Cup winner is as good a start as any.