RAVENNA (The Thursday Times) — Ronaldinho returned to professional football on Sunday at the age of 46, starting for Serie C side Ravenna against local rivals Forlì and playing the whole of the first half before being replaced at the break. His comeback lasted 45 minutes, and he did not score the 300th goal of his career.
The Brazil World Cup winner, who played his last competitive match for Fluminense in September 2015, was involved in Ravenna’s two best chances of the half. He set up a Giulio Donati header from a corner that the Forlì goalkeeper saved, then worked the ball well on the edge of the area in the move that ended with Donati putting Ravenna 1-0 ahead. Ronaldinho took corner duty for the hosts but could not find a shot of his own, so he stays on 299 career goals.
Standing ovation at the Benelli
He had been expected to play only about half an hour, but stayed on until the interval. Matteo Maggio replaced him for the second half. At half-time the Stadio Bruno Benelli gave him a standing ovation, and he walked around the pitch to salute the supporters.
“It went by too fast, that has always been football for me,” he said afterwards. Asked whether it was his last match, he replied: “I don’t know. If the president keeps calling me, I will come back. It is always a pleasure. I told the president, if he needs me, then I will be here.” He added that it had been lovely to be in the dressing room before a game, and called football “the most wonderful thing in my life”.
A comeback five months in the making
Ronaldinho announced in June that he had signed for Ravenna, the third tier of Italian football, and became a shareholder in the club. He flew in on Saturday and had one training session before the match. Ravenna’s president, Ignazio Cipriani, has said the move is about more than marketing or international visibility. Ravenna said earlier it would also be the first team to wear Ronaldinho’s R10 brand.
It remains to be seen whether this was his only appearance in the yellow and red shirt. Earlier on The Thursday Times: Ronaldinho was named to start in the Serie C fixture.
