Ronaldinho made a winning return to professional football on Sunday for Ravenna, an ambitious club in Italy’s third tier aiming to reach Serie B.
With Ignazio Cipriani, the Italian-American businessman who has owned the club since 2024 keeping a close watch, Ronaldinho carried out his part to perfection as the focal point of a shrewd PR stunt.
The 46-year-old Brazilian legend delivered a subdued display in his first competitive outing since turning out for Fluminense in 2015, as Ravenna, chasing promotion to Serie B, defeated local rivals. Forli 2-0 before a full house at the Stadio Bruno Benelli on Italy’s Adriatic coast.
Famed in his prime for his explosive dribbling and frequently audacious ball control, Ronaldinho mostly ambled about the pitch and played simple passes to teammates who, in years gone by, would have been nowhere near his level as players.
Ronaldinho’s arrival has handed Ravenna a level of exposure that was previously unthinkable, and Cipriani would surely have been thrilled to see the swarm of reporters and photographers that turned up at the Benelli.
The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner featured only in the first half, but he was part of the move that culminated in Giulio Donati firing hosts Ravenna into the lead in the 36th minute.
Ronaldinho took the field to a grand reception, with the 5,000-capacity Benelli having been fitted with a temporary stand of 1,800 seats nicknamed “R10” for the occasion.
Flares and smoke bombs were set off in the stands as Andrea Bocelli’s “Con Te Partiro” rang out from the stadium’s speakers.
And he departed after the first half, though not before exchanging plenty of handshakes with his teammates and the match officials.
Only he knows whether he will turn out for Ravenna again, even though he had taken part in just one training session with his teammates before this one-off appearance.
He only reached Italy a few days ahead of Sunday’s match, which suggests he has not committed himself for the long term.
Ravenna, who have not played in Serie B since 2008, sit second in their regional group in Serie C and entered the weekend’s fixtures six points adrift of leaders Spezia.
One team from each of the three groups will earn direct promotion to Serie B, with the last place in the second tier settled through a play-off.
