Ravenna, August 28, 2026 – After the crowd surge on August 20 at Marina di Ravenna, the Ronaldinho operation continues. During his stay in Ravenna, the Brazilian champion visited the Basilica of San Vitale, welcomed by Mayor Alessandro Barattoni and the parish priest, Don Lorenzo Rossini.
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And in front of the Christ Pantocrator, for once, even Dinho seems to have found someone capable of stealing his spotlight. If there is a place in the world where Ronaldinho could end up under a God, that place is Ravenna. And if that God is the Christ Pantocrator of San Vitale, the picture becomes practically perfect. On one side the young, beardless, blond Christ, seated on the blue globe, on the other the Brazilian who made the ball an art, dribbling a universal language, and the smile a kind of trademark. Dinho, in short, under the Pantocrator: the god of football under the God with a capital G. Where else?
Dinho among the mosaics of San Vitale
The last stop of the Ronaldinho-mania in Ravenna was therefore among the mosaics of San Vitale. After the crowd surge on August 20 at Marina di Ravenna, when the Brazilian superstar was officially presented in front of a square literally conquered by his presence, the operation carried out by patron Ignazio Cipriani continues also through images published on the official Ravenna channels and social media. And this time the setting is postcard-perfect.
Ronaldinho entered the presbytery of the basilica, one of the symbolic places of Ravenna and a heritage of early Christian and Byzantine art.
Behind him, history watches. Theodora, Justinian, San Vitale.
And especially that Christ Pantocrator who dominates the apse basin, depicted on the large blue globe, while handing the crown of martyrdom to the saint titular of the basilica. Dinho, however, does not need crowns. His, if anything, is the one he built on the field with magic touches.
But the picture places him right there, at the center of one of the city’s most famous masterpieces, almost as if it were a scene prepared on purpose: Ronaldinho in front of the Pantocrator, the champion in front of the symbol of divine power. Before San Vitale, however, there was Marina. And even there, in its own way, the sky played its part.
The Gaucho should play one last match
On the evening of August 20, after the wait and the presentation, around 10:30 pm a violent storm hit the location: strong wind and rain also swept away the party stage. But only after he had spoken.
As if the bad weather had diligently waited for the end of the show. Meanwhile, the most awaited prospect remains in the background: Ronaldinho should return to the field for one last match with Ravenna. If it really happens, it will be another show.
Meanwhile, at least at San Vitale, Dinho has already found his place: under the Pantocrator. Because a god of football, somewhere, had to kneel.
