Ronaldinho, 46, plays first half for Ravenna in Serie C derby against Forlì

The return

Ronaldinho, 46, started for Ravenna in the Serie C Group B derby against Forlì on Sunday, 15 November, at the Bruno Benelli stadium. It was his first match in 11 years, and Ravenna had announced in June that he would join the club. The Brazilian is a friend of owner Ignazio Cipriani and already holds the roles of ambassador and shareholder. Ravenna sit second in the group, and Il Messaggero reported a crowd of over 6,500. His warm-up began at 16:50, before the 17:30 kick-off, and a stand built for the occasion and named R10 in his honour greeted him with flares.

The goal

Ravenna took the lead just before half-time through Giulio Donati, 36, who has more than 365 professional appearances, including spells with Lecce and Monza in Serie A and Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, according to Il Messaggero. Ronaldinho touched the ball to a teammate, Lonardi, who let it run on to Donati, and Donati struck from roughly 20 to 25 metres, depending on the report, past the Forlì goalkeeper. Ronaldinho had hoped to score his 300th goal in official matches, but the tally stayed at 299. Years earlier Donati had faced him at San Siro while playing for Lecce against Ronaldinho's Milan. After the goal, Ronaldinho embraced Donati, and the two men who once opposed each other were now on the same side.

Ceremony and crowd

Dida and Serginho, both 2002 World Cup winners with Ronaldinho and former Milan team-mates, came to the Benelli and embraced him at the break. Flavio Briatore sat in the stand as a guest of Cipriani. When Ronaldinho came out, flares from the R10 stand greeted him while Andrea Bocelli's 'Con te partirò' played. At half-time he walked the pitch, saluting each section of the stadium and bowing repeatedly as the crowd applauded, Il Messaggero reported. The match was also streamed free on YouTube in Italy.

Half-time and his words

Ronaldinho was replaced at half-time, and no article reports that he returned after the break. Near the end of the first half, a Forlì defender knocked him down and apologised, and Ronaldinho accepted at once with a smile. Speaking to Sky before going into the dressing room, he said the first half had passed too quickly and that he did not yet know whether he would play again, a decision he left to the club president. He told Cipriani he had always said he would be available if the club needed him. He said he felt very happy and that the past three days had brought back the feelings he had as a player.

What comes next

The timeline below traces the afternoon from the warm-up to half-time.

Ravenna are second in Group B, and the derby was the 14th round of Serie C according to Notícias ao Minuto. Ronaldinho, a two-time Ballon d'Or winner, last played a competitive match more than 11 years ago for Fluminense. No date is given for any further appearance, and he left that decision to the club president.