Brazilian legend Ronaldinho has lashed out at the current Brazilian players and has labeled the upcoming Copa America squad as the ‘worst team’ in decades.
Following Brazil’s 1-1 draw against the USA on 12 June, the 44-year-old took to Instagram to let his frustration out and criticized the ‘average players’ of Brazil.
“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.” Ronaldinho posted on Instagram alongside a clip of his interview on YouTube.
“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,”
“I’ll repeat, our performance has been one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. Such a shame. I therefore declare my resignation. I will not watch any CONMEBOL Copa America game, nor celebrate any victory,” he added.
Brazil’s last trophy came in 2019 when they lifted the Copa America on their home turf. In 2021 they finished as the runners-up after losing to Argentina in the final. They also suffered a disappointing FIFA World Cup in Qatar as they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Croatia on penalties.
Dorival Júnior, the new head coach of Brazil took the helm in January and has only been in charge of two friendly matches ahead of the Copa America. He would have to cope without superstar Neymar who will miss the tournament due to an ACL injury. Neymar’s injury is a huge setback for Brazil as he has always set the game alight whenever he is in the famous yellow jersey of Brazil.
Vinicius Júnior, one of the favorites for the Ballon d’Or after winning the Champions League with Real Madrid, will be the main man of Brazil this summer and a lot will depend on him if Brazil want to go far in the tournament.
The future Real Madrid star, Endrick will be another to watch out for in the tournament with many believing he will be given a starting role in the XI.
Brazil will start their Copa America campaign on 24th June against Costa Rica. They will play Paraguay and Colombia in their second and third group games respectively.
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
