Greying and rounder in the face than during his prime, Ronaldinho made a winning return to professional football on Sunday for Ravenna, an ambitious club in Italy’s third tier dreaming of reaching Serie A.

Under the watchful eye of Ignazio Cipriani, the Italian-American businessman who has owned the club since 2024, Ronaldinho perfectly played his role as the centrepiece of a clever PR stunt.

The 46-year-old Brazilian great put in a low-key performance in his first competitive match since playing for Fluminense in 2015, as Ravenna, bidding for promotion to Serie B, beat local rivals Forli 2-0 in front of a packed Stadio Bruno Benelli near Italy’s Adriatic coast.

Known for his dynamic dribbling and often outrageous ball control in his Barcelona and Brazil heyday, Ronaldinho largely strolled around the pitch and laid off simple passes to his team-mates, who would once upon a time not have been anywhere near his level as players.

“It was wonderful to see so many young footballers who grew up watching me play, and who now find themselves coming out onto the pitch alongside me,” said Ronaldinho as he left the field.

Ronaldinho’s arrival has given Ravenna a previously unimaginable profile, and Cipriani would no doubt have been delighted to see the pack of reporters and photographers that descended on the Benelli.

The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner only played in the first half but was involved in the move, which ended with Giulio Donati smashing hosts Ravenna ahead in the 36th minute.

Ronaldinho entered the field to great fanfare, with the 5,000-capacity Benelli having a temporary stand with 1,800 places — dubbed “R10” — added for the occasion.

Flares and smoke bombs were set off in the stands while Andrea Bocelli’s “Con Te Partiro” was blasting out of the stadium’s speakers.

He left after the first half, but not before plenty of handshakes with his team-mates and match officials and questions from awaiting journalists.

Only he knows whether he will play for Ravenna again, although he had only taken part in a single training session with his team-mates before this one-off appearance.

Cipriani announced the signing of Ronaldinho back in June as part of his efforts to build up the club’s image, with an official presentation taking place at the end of August.

But the player only arrived in Italy a few days before Sunday’s match, suggesting that he hasn’t committed himself for the long haul.

Asked if he would play again, Ronaldinho said: “I don’t know yet. It’s up to the president now: if he calls me, I’ll come back,” he added.

Ravenna, who have not even played in Serie B since 2008, are second in their regional group in Serie C, six points behind leaders Spezia.

One team from each of the three groups will be directly promoted to Serie B, with the final spot in the second tier decided by a play-off.