Ronaldinho, 46, is going back to professional football. Ravenna, a club in Italy's Serie C, announced the return on Friday with a message on social media: "The magic never went away. Now it's time to take it back to the pitch."
The former number 10's last official match was in 2015, for Fluminense. He formally retired in 2018.
When, and against whom
The debut date did not come from the club but from Ravenna's mayor, Alessandro Barattoni, speaking at the "Fattore R" forum: "Sarà in campo nella partita del 15 novembre" — he will be on the field in the 15 November match.
The game is on Sunday 15 November at 5.30pm local time, at the Stadio Bruno Benelli, against Forlì — a regional derby in Emilia-Romagna, in Group B of Serie C. According to the website Calcio e Finanza, Ravenna has not yet confirmed whether Ronaldinho will actually play, or for how long.
He is expected to wear the number 10, with an R10 logo, and has set himself the personal target of reaching 300 official career goals.
The club that signed him
Founded in 1913, Ravenna play in red and yellow and now sit in the third tier. Their best spell came in the 1990s: promotion to Serie B in 1993 and seven seasons in the second tier, the last of them in 2007/08, according to the Brazilian magazine Exame. Financial and administrative trouble later pushed the club down the divisions, and its declared goal is to return to Serie B.
As things stand, Ravenna are second in Group B, with 20 points from 10 matches — eight behind leaders Spezia.
The signing was announced in June, driven by president Ignazio Cipriani and vice-president Ariedo Braida. Cipriani, a friend of the player, said the idea is to "bring the whole city closer to the team". According to Agência Brasil, Ronaldinho later bought a stake in the club.
When he landed in Italy in August, he did not confirm that he would play, but left the door open: "I'm here to help."
What he brings
Ronaldinho won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil, played for Barcelona and Milan, and took the Ballon d'Or in 2005. For a third-division club trying to rebuild, the calculation is as much about gate receipts and attention as about football: Italy's Serie C rarely registers outside Italy, and the Benelli is expected to sell out on 15 November.
With information from Agência Brasil, Calcio e Finanza and Exame.
