As Ronaldinho prepares to lace up his boots again at the age of 46 after signing with Italian side Ravenna FC, the Brazil great hopes to inspire the younger generation to follow their dreams, just like those he fulfilled in a glittering 17-year career.
In a return that has reignited football nostalgia, playmaker Ronaldinho has come out of retirement to feature for Ravenna in Italy's third division Serie C.
The Ballon d'Or winner last played club football for Fluminense in 2015 but more than a decade after walking away from the game, the youthful smile that won over millions of fans remains one of his most enduring trademarks.
With a stadium capacity of just over 12,000, Ravenna is a place where dreams tend to be modest and the club may not be a familiar name to many football fans outside Italy.
But the arrival of Ronaldinho -- arguably one of the most recognizable footballers on the planet -- has thrust the club nestled in Emilia-Romagna into the spotlight.
Wearing all white, Ronaldinho posed with the new Ravenna jersey that was initially draped over the gleaming Ballon d'Or trophy he won in 2005, before signing the kit with club owner Ignazio Cipriani sitting alongside him.
'EXTREMELY HAPPY'
"Throughout all these years, the friendship we have with the (Cipriani) family and with all the friends, now this opportunity has come up. So I'm extremely happy and we hope things go well," Ronaldinho told Reuters about his move to the Italian club.
"We've been friends for many years, so it was something simple, direct and easy. We both want Ravenna to do very well, for things to go well. We share very similar ideas and that's why we're doing this together."
For Ronaldinho, the attraction is not just nostalgia as he says he wants his return to mean something to those around him.
"I hope it (the impact) is in the most positive way possible, right? That others will also be motivated to continue and have the opportunity to fulfil their dreams, just as I have fulfilled mine," Ronaldinho said.
"So I hope it has a positive impact."
SERIE A AMBITIONS
Cipriani understands the appeal better than most.
Born in Ravenna, he bought the club in 2024 with ambitions of taking the team all the way to Serie A.
The club's president said securing Ronaldinho's signature fulfils a childhood dream inspired by the Brazilian's iconic style of play.
"He just inspired me and my whole generation to fall in love with the sport because of the things he did that were so different from everybody else who played. So it was always a dream and an inspiration to play like him," Cipriani said.
"I think just having him with us is going to make Ravenna a much bigger club. It gave us an extreme level of PR that we wouldn't have had otherwise.
"But I think he's going to bring a lot of joy to the town and hopefully things go great."
