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India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill met Brazil football legend Ronaldinho in the United States on the sidelines of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026, which is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
Ronaldinho, the 2002 FIFA World Cup winner with Brazil and former FC Barcelona star, has been a regular presence at matches during the ongoing tournament, especially those involving his national team. A picture shared by Gill through a fan page on social media showed the right-handed batter posing alongside the Brazilian football icon. Gill recently featured in the home series against Afghanistan, which he won 3-0, his first ODI series win as a skipper. He was also chosen as the 'Player of the Series', scoring 232 runs in two innings, with the best score of 154. The series also saw the Indian batting superstar breach the 3,000 ODI run mark and 7,000 international runs. On the other hand, Ronaldinho has reportedly come out of retirement, completing a shock move to Italy's third-tier club Ravenna in the Serie C, more than a decade after his last professional appearance. The club officials initially had suggested that Ronaldinho's role with the club would be limited to marketing purposes, but since then, they have refused to rule out the possibility of 46-year-old Brazil legend gracing the football pitch again, as per Goal.com. As per Gazzetta, as quoted by Goal.com, the former Ballon d'Or winner is set to be presented as the newest member of the club at Miami on June 23 during a special event. The deal marks a return to Italy for FC Barcelona icon, who had appeared for AC Milan from 2008 to 2011. Since his last professional appearance for Fluminense in 2015, Ronaldinho has been a regular at the exhibition and legend football matches. Now, he is returning to a professional club environment for Ravenna under the coach Andrea Mandorlini Questions quickly emerged about what Ronaldinho's role would be, besides promotional and marketing duties. The club's vice-president, Ariedo Braida, initially suggested the Brazilian would not feature in Serie C matches. He said as per Goal.com: "Ronaldinho will do a marketing event with us, but will not play for Ravenna in Serie C next season. Also, because he is 46, I wish he could still play." But later on, the VP left the door open for a potential return to pitch. Speaking to ANSA as quoted by Goal.com, he said, "Ronaldinho is a timeless champion. He has signed with Ravenna and, for a club like ours, it is an extraordinary coup. Over the next few days, there will be an event to unveil this extraordinary character. Will he play? We'll see, but it's not ruled out. As I already said, he is a timeless champion." Despite all the uncertainty about what exactly Ronaldinho will be doing with the club, the footballer is immensely excited to be joining the club and the UEFA Champions League winner with Barcelona, and the 2002 FIFA World Cup winner with Brazil is eager to bring his "Joga Bonito" philosophy to the club. "New colours, same smile," Ronaldinho said. "I cannot wait to be able to dance on the ball again to write a new story together with Ignazio and the whole Cipriani family. Football has always been a source of joy for me, I want to bring the same spirit to Ravenna," he added. (ANI)
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