Ronaldinho to play again at 46: Ravenna debut vs Forli in Serie C on 15 November

Ronaldinho, 46, will play his first competitive match in more than a decade when Ravenna face local rivals Forli in Italy's Serie C on Saturday 15 November at the Stadio Bruno Benelli, the club announced on Saturday, Business Recorder reported from Reuters.

The former Barcelona and AC Milan forward last played competitively for Fluminense in Brazil in 2015 and officially retired in 2018. He won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and the Ballon d'Or in 2005.

Why Ravenna

Ravenna signed him in June, and he later bought a stake in the club, which is owned by his friend Ignazio Cipriani. Cipriani has said the move is meant to "bring the whole city closer to the team".

When he arrived in Italy in August, Ronaldinho would not confirm he would play, saying only "I'm here to help", but he left the door open to scoring a 300th career goal.

Where Ravenna stand

Ravenna are second in Serie C Group B with 20 points from 10 games, eight points behind leaders Spezia. Serie C is Italy's third tier, below Serie A and Serie B.

Watching in Pakistan

Italian Serie C matches are not shown on Pakistani TV channels; the league streams games on its own paid platforms abroad. Kick-off times for the Forli match have not been announced yet. Italy's clocks go back an hour on Sunday 25 October, so from then an afternoon kick-off in Italy at 3pm is 7pm in Pakistan.

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