It’s not often players come out of retirement in their forties, but one of football’s all-time greats is doing just that with one particular goal in mind.

The sport looks to soon be bidding farewell to Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, who recently said that he’d likely be calling time on his career next year. His longtime Ballon d’Or rival Lionel Messi, 39, is in the twilight years of his career, and after missing out on a second World Cup with Argentina, there is talk of him retiring in the near future.

Fans dread the day their footballing heroes decide to hang up their boots, although some have gone against their decision in the past. Take, for example, Paul Scholes, who retired in 2011 but made a comeback a year later to win the Premier League in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season as Manchester United boss.

Ronaldinho Makes Shock Return With Italian Outfit

REUTERS/Ciro De Luca

Scholes was only 37 when he came out of retirement and had only spent a year away from the pitch. It’s been 11 years since Ronaldinho decided to call it quits, but the Brazilian is set to make a shock return.

Ronaldinho has flown to Italy after signing for third-tier outfit Ravenna and will be presented in front of six thousand fans at a beach festival on the Adriatic coast. Having made history in European football with Barcelona, he’s now ready to lace up his boots once again at the grand old age of 46.

There is a good reason the 2005 Ballon d’Or winner is returning to the pitch and joining a club playing in Serie C. He is the minority owner of the Italian minnows and part of the ownership group led by Ignazio Cipriani, the grandson of Giuseppe Cipriani, who owns Harry’s Bar in Venice.

To dispel suggestions that this was all just a publicity stunt, Cipriani explained why the 2002 World Cup winner is coming out of retirement (via The Athletic):

The last time Ronaldinho was in action was way back in 2015 at Fluminense, where he seemed to be ending his career. He’s no stranger to Italian football, having spent two and a half seasons at AC Milan after leaving Barca, where he wrote his name in European football history.

Ronaldinho also spent his career playing for Paris Saint-Germain, Flamengo, Atlético Mineiro, and Querétaro, and as a member of the Brazil squad that wowed fans throughout the late nineties and 2000s. He could make his debut for Ravenna in their season opener against Reggiana on Monday (August 24th).

Ronaldinho has now become the fifth player in history over the age of 40 to come out of retirement. Another Brazilian took the top spot as Romario made a surprise comeback after retiring in 2009, signing for America RJ at 58 to play alongside his son, Romarinho.

Romario similarly served as the Brazilian club’s president, and evidently, legends are enticed to return when remaining in the sport in a business capacity. Others who have made shock U-turns include Jens Lehmann, who called time on his career in 2010 at Stuttgart but re-signed with Arsenal a year later, aged 41, due to a goalkeeping crisis.

One of Ronaldinho’s former teammates, Rivaldo, made a comeback just 15 months after retiring at age 43. The Barcelona icon registered for Mogi Mirim while serving as club president and even scored in the same match as his son Rivaldinho.

At the age of 42, Juan Sebastian Veron, kept his promise to Estudiantes fans that he would come out of retirement if 65% of boxes were bought at their new stadium. The former Manchester United midfielder played in the 2017 Copa Libertadores.

The departure from WWE of a former United States Champion with ‘World Championship potential’ has been confirmed and fans are absolutely fuming.

As originally reported by PWInsider, Ilja Dragunov has left the company following the expiry of his contract. The 32-year-old first joined WWE in 2019, initially as part of the NXT UK brand.

He was a former NXT UK Champion, NXT Champion, and WWE United States Champion. Dragunov frequently appeared on SmackDown in the latter part of 2025, often defending the US Title as part of an open challenge.

Ilja Dragunov Leaves WWE

Renowned for his hard-hitting style, Dragunov’s matches were a highlight of the period for a number of fans, many of whom expected him to go on and enjoy a main event run after he lost the championship to Carmelo Hayes on the December 26th edition of SmackDown.

Dragunov was a part of the 2026 Royal Rumble, where he was eliminated by Brock Lesnar. During the match, he went viral after appearing to refuse to sell for ‘The Beast’, after which his presence on television noticeably declined.

He last appeared on television during the April 17th episode of SmackDown, where he competed in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He was moved to the ‘Alumni’ section of the official WWE website shortly before the report emerged.

WWE Fans Fume After Superstar’s Departure

News of his exit has not gone down well on social media, with many fans accusing Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque and his creative staff of having “fumbled” a top talent.

“Genuinely one of their biggest fumbles EVER,” wrote one fan. “This company grows more allergic to good wrestling every single day. Can’t wait to see him finally thrive again elsewhere. That man is a STAR!”

Another disillusioned fan asked: “How do you not see his world championship potential?”

A third fan agreed: “Triple H needs to lower his head in shame,” while a separate poster chimed in: “How in the f*** do you fumble a talent like him? Just dunces inside that company.”

A further post declared: “The way they misused him is criminal,” while a final comment summed up the general feeling behind WWE allowing Dragunov’s contract to expire as they raged: “I f****** hate this company, bro!”

Dragunov joins a growing list of former champions to have left WWE in recent months, with the likes of Sheamus and The New Day also departing in controversial circumstances.

Arsenal are exploring a move for Juventus ace Kenan Yildiz, according to The Independent.

The Gunners are looking to give their squad another attacking boost going into the 2026/27 campaign as they target even more success in north London.

The Premier League champions have already added to their title-winning squad with Illan Meslier, Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis, while Piero Hincapie has turned his loan move from Bayer Leverkusen into a permanent deal.

Arsenal did miss out on the signing of Vinicius Jr from Real Madrid, however, and fans are awaiting the club’s next move in the transfer market as they look to upgrade the left side of their attack.

Amid links with Bradley Barcola of Paris Saint-Germain, Yildiz has emerged as a potential option on the left following his impressive performances for Juventus.

According to The Independent, Arsenal are looking into whether a deal for the 21-year-old, who Mikel Arteta is very keen on, is possible this month.

Juventus would want upwards of £60m if they part with Yildiz, with the possibility of Gabriel Martinelli going in the opposite direction something that has been raised.

The Turkey international registered 11 goals and ten assists in 47 games for Juventus last season, bringing his total to 27 goals and 21 assists in 131 games for the club.

Kenan Yildiz’s 2025/26 season in numbers

What Yildiz would bring to Arsenal

Yildiz has earned rave reviews at Juventus and it comes as no surprise to see him emerge as an option for Arsenal on the left wing.

Excellent with the ball, a good dribbler and able to operate in tight spaces, the Regensburg-born player would certainly flourish in Arteta’s team and be a big hit at the Emirates Stadium.

Yildiz has impressed that much in Turin that he has drawn comparisons with some huge names in the game.

“Yildiz dribbles like a Brazilian,” defender Bremer told La Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview in August 2025. “Yes, Kenan is a bit like our Lamine Yamal, all of us in the team have to give him the conditions to perform at his best.”

Guiseppe Rossi, in an interview with Italian publication Tuttomearcatoweb last October, said: “Super Yildiz. The Turk is a phenomenon and will be a Ballon d’Or winner in the future: he’s 20, but he plays like a thirty-year-old with a hundred Champions League appearances.

“I have a soft spot for his ability to attempt a beautiful play for the good of the team, not just for the applause. Juventus is Yildiz plus ten others; in terms of impact, he’s a bit like the Lamine Yamal of the Bianconeri.”