Nicklas Bendtner and Aaron Lennon set for Stadium of Light summer showpiece | OneFootball

Sunderland Echo understands that Nicklas Bendtner and Aaron Lennon are set to join Ronaldinho at the Stadium of Light this month.

The Ronaldinho & Friends exhibition will be staged on Monday, 25 May, kick-off 5pm, 24 hours after Sunderland’s final Premier League game of the season against Chelsea.

Ronaldinho will captain a side of past stars against a UK Icons line-up led by Sunderland favourite Jermain Defoe.

Brazilian greats Fábio Rochemback, Maicon and Gilberto Silva are expected to feature. Confirmed names include Djibril Cissé, Kléberson, Heurelho Gomes, Manchester United twins Fábio and Rafael, Fernando and Anderson.

Former Tottenham and Hull City defender Michael Dawson is also set to appear, with Lennon, 39, and Bendtner, 38, expected to join him.

On loan in 2011-12, he made 30 appearances and topped Sunderland’s Premier League scoring with eight, netting a Tyne-Wear derby penalty and in a 3-3 draw at Manchester City.

He later returned to Arsenal and had spells with Juventus, Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, Rosenborg and FC Copenhagen, while scoring 30 goals in 81 Denmark caps.

Tickets are on sale via Sunderland’s official website, priced from £25 for adults and £20 for concessions. Hospitality options include access to Quinns Sports Bar and executive boxes.

Sunderland’s then-chief business officer David Bruce said it was a privilege to host, while curator Marcel Nalyan noted Ronaldinho’s enduring passion and eagerness to play in the UK again.

Source: Sunderland Echo