Ronaldinho agrees to friendly appearance for Colombian club

Bogota: Brazilian football great Ronaldinho will temporarily come out of retirement to represent Colombia’s Independiente Santa Fe in a friendly in October, the Bogota club has said.

Santa Fe posted a video on social media on Wednesday in which the 39-year-old confirmed he will take part in the match at the Campin on October 17 against yet-to-be named opponents. Three days later, Ronaldinho will play in the Colombian derby between America and Deportivo Cali, representing both clubs in each half, according to media reports.

As a two-time recipient of the Fifa World Player of the Year Award and a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002, Ronaldinho retired from football in 2018.

It was not immediately clear though if Ronaldinho would be free to travel to Colombia for the matches. Brazil’s Supreme Court this month upheld a decision to ban the former Barcelona attacker from leaving the country after he failed to pay a fine resulting from a 2015 court case.

Ronaldinho and his brother, Roberto Assis, were fined $2.3 million after being found guilty of building a fishing platform on the Guaiba river in southern Brazil without the necessary permits. The structure was located in a heritage-protected area.