Ronaldinho, 46, Set for First Competitive Start in More Than a Decade with Ravenna
Ronaldinho, the former Barcelona and AC Milan playmaker, is set to start a competitive match for the first time in more than ten years. The 46-year-old will line up for Serie C club Ravenna against Forli on Sunday.
Serie C is Italy's third tier, a long way from the Champions League nights that made Ronaldinho one of the most watched players of his generation. His last competitive appearance came for Brazilian side Fluminense in September 2015. Since then, he has mostly been a name on the sides of football shirts and in highlight reels.
He joined Ravenna in August. He first came to the club as an investor, not a player. Now he will start up front. Ravenna manager Andrea Mandorlini said Ronaldinho will play as one of his three forwards, the attacking players whose job is to score. BBC Sport reported the news.
Ronaldinho arrived in Italy on Friday. He will have only one training session with his new teammates before the game. That is a short time for any player to learn a team's patterns, and the Ravenna side will have to fit him in quickly.
The match has already drawn attention. A temporary stand has been built at the Stadio Bruno Benelli to cope with the expected crowd. Ravenna are second in the Serie C table after 13matches, so the game also matters for the club's league position.
Ravenna forward Simone Rabbi has given a clear sign of how the team plans to use its famous new signing. He said Ronaldinho will take any penalties awarded to Ravenna against Forli. A penalty is a free shot from 12 yards, and a player who takes them well can be a real asset.
Ronaldinho has said he wants one more goal to take his career tally to 300. Goals are the simplest way to measure a striker's career, and that number would be a fitting final chapter for a player known for his joy on the ball. Ravenna owner Ignazio Cipriani has pushed back on the idea that the signing is a stunt. He said Ronaldinho's involvement is not a token gesture or a marketing exercise.
Whatever happens on Sunday, it will be a rare chance for fans to see one of football's great entertainers play in a small Italian stadium, with a new stand full of people who came to watch him.
