Ronaldinho to start for Ravenna in derby with Forlì after dazzling training
The 46-year-old trained with Ravenna after arriving in Italy and has been confirmed to start the Serie C derby on 15 November.
At 46 years old, Ronaldinho is preparing to return to competitive football and has already captured attention before his first official appearance. The Brazilian arrived in Italy and took part in a pre-match training session that fans and observers widely shared online.
Ravenna face local rivals Forlí on Sunday, 15 November, in a Serie C derby at the Bruno Benelli stadium with kick-off scheduled for 17:30. The club confirmed the match will feature the former Ballon d'Or winner.
Coach confirms start, minutes to be decided
Coach Andrea Mandorlini announced that Ronaldinho will be in the starting line-up. He is expected to play as one of Ravenna's three forwards, while the coaching staff will decide during the game how long he will remain on the pitch.
The session, held after Ronaldinho arrived in Italy a day earlier, focused on short passing and ball exchanges. Clips from the training showed the veteran's close control and signature touches, prompting a flurry of comments on social media.
Supporters compared what they saw to current stars. One fan wrote, "Ronaldinho is still in better shape than the entire current Brazil national team, and even Manchester United." Others compared him to Vinícius Júnior and Cristiano Ronaldo — "He is still better than Vinícius in his best days," read one comment, while another said, "Technically better than CR7, and convincingly so."
Journalist Fabrizio Romano also posted that Ronaldinho had arrived for his pre-match training with Ravenna as part of a project involving the Cipriani family and that the legend had promised to play an official game this weekend.
Photo: press material from the event
