In a recent interview, Brazilian legend Ronaldinho was highly critical of the Brazil national team. The 44-year-old retired footballer stated that he would not watch any of the team’s matches during the upcoming Copa América, which will be held in the United States from June 20 to July 14.
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Ronaldinho criticized the team for a severe lack of “joy,” “fight,” and “dedication.” “Everything is lacking, the motivation, the joy… They need to play well, otherwise, I won’t watch any matches,” he said. The multiple trophy winner with Brazil and FC Barcelona expressed great disappointment with the team’s recent level of play.
🚨🇧🇷| Ronaldinho Interview 🎙️
'What should we expect from Brazil in the Copa América?'
Ronaldinho:
“I'm not going to watch any of the games, everything is missing, determination, joy, not playing well. I’m not even going to watch one game.”
— All Things Brazil™ 🇧🇷 (@SelecaoTalk) June 14, 2024
“Perhaps this is one of the worst teams in recent years, with no respectable leaders and mostly mediocre players. I’ve been following football since I was a child, long before I thought about becoming a player, and I’ve never seen such a bad situation. There is a lack of love for the jersey, a lack of determination, and most importantly, a lack of football,” he stated, in one of the strongest paragraphs.
Despite his harsh criticisms, Ronaldinho highlighted the qualities of the young prodigy Vinícius Júnior. He believes that the Real Madrid forward “deserves” to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
Under the guidance of coach Dorival Júnior, the team hopes to reclaim success at the upcoming Copa América, a tournament Brazil has not won since 2019. Brazil will kick off their campaign on June 24 against Costa Rica, followed by matches against Paraguay and Colombia.