Football: Ronaldinho returns as Ravenna beat Forlì 2-0 in Italy
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on P.M. News, UG Diplomat, Punch, SeneNews and Vanguard
Ronaldinho, 46, made his return to professional football with Ravenna, who beat Forlì 2-0 in Serie C on Sunday at the Bruno Benelli Stadium. According to Punch, the former star of FC Barcelona and AC Milan, who had not played an official match for eleven years, was greeted by a full stadium.
Giulio Donati opened the scoring for Ravenna in the 36th minute, finishing a move in which Ronaldinho had taken part. Simone Rabbi doubled the lead in the 58th minute.
A temporary stand with 1,800 seats, named 'R10', had been installed in the 5,000-seat stadium for the occasion. Smoke flares, brass bands and photographers accompanied his entrance onto the pitch, while Andrea Bocelli’s 'Con Te Partiro' rang out over the loudspeakers.
Before the match, Ronaldinho told Sky Sport that he wanted to have a nice day. On the pitch, he played without great intensity, mostly distributing simple passes to his teammates. He left the field at half-time, after shaking hands with his teammates and the referees.
He had taken part in only one training session with his new squad and had arrived in Italy a few days earlier, so nothing suggests he will play again for the club. Ravenna, second in their Serie C group, have not played in Serie B since 2008 and trail leaders Spezia by six points. The project, led by Ignazio Cipriani, an Italian-American businessman who has owned the club since 2024, aims for Serie B and then Serie A.
