Ronaldinho is one of the great legends in the history of Brazil and and authorized voice to speak about the national team. However, no one expected the former Barcelona star would explode before the 2024 Copa America. It all happened in a very controversial Instagram post.
“Here it is guys, For me, it’s over. This is a sad moment for those who love Brazilian football. It’s hard to muster the enthusiasm to watch the games. This is perhaps one of the worst teams in recent years, lacking respected leaders, mostly just average players.”
Even with Ronaldinho’s furious statement, Brazil are still one of the favorite teams to lift the trophy with a roster that includes names like Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Endrick, Casemiro and Marquinhos. They will be in Group D of the tournament with Paraguay, Colombia and Costa Rica.
However, their biggest challenge could be outside of that sector when they face other contenders such as Uruguay and, of course, defending champions Argentina led by Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi might be the biggest obstacle for Brazil in 2024 Copa America (Getty Images)
Ronaldinho just had enough of Brazil’s national team
In a surprising turn of events, Ronaldinho acknowldeged that he has given up on the Brazilian squad. The legend blames the players for what could happen in Copa America 2024.
“I’ve been following football since I was a kid, long before I thought about becoming a player, and I’ve never seen a situation this bad. There’s a lack of love for the shirt, a lack of determination and most importantly: lack of football. I repeat. Our performance has been one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. It’s shameful. Therefore, I declare here my abandonment. I won’t watch any games of Copa América and won’t celebrate any victories either.”
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Brazilian players answer Ronaldinho
As expected, Ronaldinho’s statement shocked national media and, just a few hours after the message was published on Instagram, Raphinha was the first player to respond.
“Ronaldinho’s statement? I don’t know if that was an adv or not but…few days ago, I’m told he asked Vini Jr for tickets to come see our games (laughs). In any case, I was surprised and I don’t agree with his statement.”