Ronaldinho, 46, returns to football with Italian Serie C club Ravenna

Ronaldinho Gaúcho, the 2005 Ballon d'Or winner and 2002 World Cup champion, has officially returned to professional football at age 46, signing with Ravenna FC of Italy's Serie C. The Brazilian was presented to fans on Thursday in a beach ceremony attended by around 6,000 supporters, where he wore the number 10 shirt Source: emolcl. His last official match was in September 2015 with Fluminense Source: elcolombiano.

The deal

The move is primarily a commercial strategy to boost the club's international profile, though Ravenna expects him to play at least one official match Source: lavanguardia. Ronaldinho will also become a shareholder and co-investor, as well as an international ambassador Source: CNN. The signing is linked to his friendship with club president Ignazio Cipriani, owner of the Cipriani restaurant group Source: elespanol.

What he said

Ronaldinho said he came to "inspire and excite" his teammates and help the team have a "spectacular" season Source: lavanguardia. He expressed hope of scoring his 300th career goal: "If I could score my goal number 300, it would be even more beautiful" Source: elcolombiano. He also said, "I'm here to help" and that his return is driven by the joy football brings him Source: elespanol.

Uncertainties

Whether he will actually play remains unclear. Ronaldinho said, "I don't know, only the coach knows" Source: elcolombiano. He will not feature in Ravenna's season opener on Monday Source: emolcl. His physical condition is a major question mark after 11 years without competitive football Source: infobae. The club has not announced a debut date Source: mileniomx.