Ronaldinho has taken aim at the current state of the Brazilian national team ahead of this summer’s Copa America in the United States.
Dorival Junior’s side head into the tournament in poor form, having won just one of their last eight fixtures in all competitions and friendlies, having laboured to a 1-1 draw against the USA on Thursday.
Champions League winners Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior were both in action earlier this week, as well as Premier League stars Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes, making Thursday’s result all the more worrying.
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Brazil’s hero turns his back
Ronaldinho is undoubtedly one of the more iconic Brazilian players of all time, with a World Cup and Copa America title to his name during his 99 appearances for his country.
A trailblazer in the ‘Joga Bonito’ era of Brazilian football, which paved the way for players like Neymar and Marcelo to bring fans to their feet with dazzling displays of skill and elegance.
Taking to Instagram on Saturday, the iconic playmaker declared such an era over, taking aim at the current state of the national side.
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Ronaldinho was part of a golden generation for Brazil (Image credit: Getty Images)
“That’s it folks, I’ve had enough,” he said in a caption to an interview clip.
“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.
“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.”
Brazil kickstart their Copa America campaign this summer with a tie against Costa Rice as they look to wrestle the title back from Argentina.
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