The Copa America (South America's intercontinental tournament) is set to begin this Friday (21 June). The usual favourites and heavy hitters, Brazil and Argentina, are expected to come out as the winners this year. However, former Brazil star, Ronaldinho, has voiced his opinion on his country's squad and chances of winning the compettion.
His initial view of his country's chances are slim. In fact, he believes the squad selected is poor. He's pointed to the lack of leadership in the group and only average players being selected. He said, "That's it, friends, I've had enough. This is a sad moment for anyone who loves Brazilian football. It's hard to find the energy to watch the matches." Ronaldinho stated this on his social media.
In a Youtube video interview, he opined that the Canarinha lacks "joy," "grit," "commitment" and "everything."
He said, "I've been following football since I was a child, long before thinking of becoming a player and I had never seen such a bad situation. There's a lack of love for the jersey, lack of determination and most importantly: football."
In addition, he's under the belief that the performances are lackluster and abysmal. He stated, "A disgrace. That's why I'm done. I won't watch any Copa América matches, nor will I celebrate any victories."
As stated above, their latest performances have been sub par to the usual standards they set themselves. According to him and most observers, the atmosphere in the Brazil camp has been underwhelming recently due to a string of lackluster performances by the five-time World Cup winners. This is even with the presence of Vinicius Jr. - the Ballon d'Or frontrunner. The latest of these was a 1-1 draw with the USA, a team that had been defeated 5-1 by Colombia just days before.
In 2023, the Canarinha struggled, failing to secure a win in four World Cup qualifiers in October and November. They are currently sixth in the standings, the final automatic qualification spot. Since Dorival Junior took over as coach in January, the nine-time South American champions have shown some improvement with victories over England and Mexico and a draw against Spain.
In an instagram post, he wrote, "This is a sad moment for those who love Brazilian soccer. It’s getting hard to find the spirit to watch the games. This is perhaps one of the worst teams in recent years, it has no respectable leaders, only average players for the majority. 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 as bad as this. Lack of love for the shirt, lack of grit and the most important of all: football."
The five-time World Cup winning nation will bank on the form of Real Madrid duo of Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo. There will be no Neymar; Thiago Silva and Casemiro in the squad.
In response to Ronaldinho's comments, Brazil international, Raphinha responded strongly and sarcastically at a press conference, even suggesting that it might be an advertising campaign: "I don't know if it's an ad campaign or not, but a few days ago he was asking Vinicius for tickets to watch a match, which contradicts what he said. It was a surprise not just for me, but for the whole group. He's never made a statement like this before; on the contrary, he's always shown support for the team. It surprised many people. "I see him as an idol, a role model. Everyone in the national team, not just the players, but everyone who works here, sees him as a role model," he explained.
He said, "It was a shock for us. Obviously, we do not agree, I do not agree, I am in my third year and I see commitment, desire, pride in wearing the shirt, I do not agree with what has been said, "I don't see drive, desire, having average players wearing the national team shirt. I completely disagree, they all have quality, merit."
However, it's recently come to light that Ronaldinho has had a change of heart. A while after posting his initial thoughts, he went onto social media and said, "I would never abandon Brazilian football, ever. And I'd never say those things you see," he posted on Instagram. "Actually, these words came from real Brazilian fans, they are real comments that I saw on the internet... Imagine listening to these messages before you play? Nope, motivation goes down... Fan support makes a huge difference to the player, I know what I'm talking about."
He went on to talk about how support is the important thing a player can receive right now and then talked about an advertisement campaign that was rumored to be a part of his alleged message a day ago.
He continued, "Guys, what our boys need is support at this time. The more confidence we show, the more confidence they will have on the field. That's why I joined Rexona in this movement to encourage the Cheer That Doesn't Quit. We are asking everyone to send messages of support and confidence in CONMEBOL Copa AmericaTM. Use #TrazConfianca let's give all the magical support of the Brazilian fan."
Brazil will debut in the Copa América on the 24th against Costa Rica in Los Angeles, followed by matches against Paraguay and Colombia in Group D.
The five-time world champion is seeking its tenth Copa América title after a forgettable 2023, with more defeats (5) than victories (3), something that hasn't happened since 1963.
In January, Dorival Júnior took over the national team. He has a record so far of two wins against England (0-1) and Mexico (2-3) and two draws against Spain (3-3) and the United States (1-1) in the four friendlies he has managed to date.
I don't care that Ronaldinho backtracked his initial comments. You should never post your own personal trepidations you might have over your own country/club. This includes coming from icons. Despite any doubts you might have, you should keep your mouth shut and support/play for them nonetheless.
In my view, this, in no way, can be contriuted to a simple ad campaign. Trying to gain attention through public criticism is unacceptable. Testing the waters of public reaction isn't always a good idea. Sometimes, it can be a very dangerous move to make.
As Newton's Third Law of Motion goes: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.