Brazilian legend Ronaldinho is expected to make his first competitive start in over ten years when Ravenna takes on local rivals Forli in Italy’s third division on Sunday.
The 46-year-old former Barcelona and AC Milan playmaker looks set to make his debut for Ravenna after joining the Serie C side in August.
His most recent competitive outing was for Brazilian club Fluminense in September 2015.
Ravenna manager Andrea Mandorlini stated on Friday that Ronaldinho would start the match as one of three forwards for his team.
“He will play from the start, there’s no doubt,” Mandorlini told reporters. “Then together we will decide how long he plays.
“He is one of the greatest players of the modern era. And we have to get a result. We always play with three forwards. He will be one of the three.”
Ronaldinho, a former Ballon d’Or winner, first came to the Italian club as an investor in August, but he stated that he still had ambitions of scoring one last goal to bring his career total to 300.
“His objective is romantic, to try to score his last goal,” club owner Ignazio Cipriani said earlier this year.
“His involvement is not a token gesture or a marketing stunt to get people talking about us.”
The Brazilian touched down in Italy on Friday and will get just a single training session with his team-mates before Sunday’s match.
A temporary stand has been set up at Ravenna’s Stadio Bruno Benelli to handle the anticipated crowd, with fans eager for the chance to see the World Cup winner play, possibly for the last time.
Ravenna forward Simone Rabbi has also stated that Ronaldinho will be the one to take any penalties given to Ravenna, who sit second in the table after 13 matches.
