Ronaldinho made his return to professional football on Sunday for Ravenna, an ambitious club in Italy's third tier aiming to reach Serie A.
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 took on local rivals Forli bidding for promotion.
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 Stadio Bruno Benelli adding a temporary stand with 1,800 places -- dubbed "R10" -- for the occasion.
Flares and smoke bombs were let off in the stands while Andrea Bocelli's "Con Te Partiro" blasting out of the stadium's speakers.
Ravenna, who have not even played in Serie B since 2008, are second in their regional group in Serie C and came into the weekend's fixtures six points behind leaders Spezia.
One team for 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.
