Silly question, but why does anyone need to say a return is real? Ravenna posted on Instagram: “The magic never went away. Now is the time to bring it back onto the pitch. On 15 November, Ronaldinho plays again. In yellow and red. Ravenna-Forli. The return is real.”
I copied the sentence into my notebook, under the tab “Expressions”, and opened a new tab: “Unreal returns”. It’s empty. I checked, and actually nobody knows what should go in it.
What I do know. Ronaldinho retired in 2015, after Fluminense. He played for PSG, Barça and AC Milan. He won the Champions League in 2006, the Copa Libertadores in 2013, the World Cup in 2002. And on 15 November, he plays matchday 14 of Serie C, group B. I was told that’s the third division. I asked if that was bad. I was told: no, it’s lovely.
Second mystery, the magic. The message says it never went away, and that it has to be brought back. I read it three times on the 7:32 train. If it didn’t leave, where is it coming back from? A colleague told me “from the dressing room”. I’m digging.
Magic, in my day, wasn’t announced. You saw it on Sunday. Well. It’s the times.
Third point, a more precise one. In June, the owner, Ignazio Cipriani, said Ronaldinho would “certainly take part in a league match, maybe a few more”. I like that sentence. It holds a certainty and a maybe, like an honest weather forecast. He had also denied it was a marketing stunt and announced that the player was joining the club’s capital. The shirts carry his brand, R10.
The aim is a “last goal as a professional”. I noted that they announce the last one before the first. Ravenna are second, eight points behind Spezia, after ten matchdays.
Anyway, I still have a lot to learn. My “Unreal returns” tab stays open.
It’s true, we checked: DH Les Sports+.
