Brazilian great Ronaldinho is set to come out of retirement for one day when he plays for Ravenna against Forli in a competitive Serie C derby in Italy today.
The match will begin at 17:30 CET [16:30 GMT] at the Bruno Benelli, with Football Italia among the accredited media covering the fixture.
Ronaldinho is expected to start for Ravenna and play for about 30 minutes, although the precise length of his appearance has not been confirmed. His involvement comes through a wider partnership with Ravenna President Ignazio Cipriani, but the game itself is a league match in Italy’s third tier and carries the added significance of being a local derby.
The former Brazil international last played a competitive match in 2015. He also has previous experience of Italian football, having represented Milan from 2008 until January 2011.
His first goal in Italy came in another derby. Ronaldinho scored against Milan’s city rivals Inter on September 28, 2008.
Ravenna are currently second in the Serie C standings, having collected 29 points from 13 matches. Forli are 15th with 15 points, leaving a substantial gap between the two teams before their meeting at the Bruno Benelli.
Ronaldinho travelled to Ravenna from Forli on Friday and completed his first training session with the team on Saturday. Footage from that session shows the 2002 World Cup winner preparing alongside his temporary team-mates ahead of his brief return to competitive action.
Sky Sport Italia reported that Ronaldinho stayed in a separate hotel from the rest of the Ravenna squad on Saturday night and has his own personal chef during the visit.
Lorenzo Bettoni is the Editor of Football Italia.
