Alkass Digital
Ronaldinho has backtracked on his scathing criticism of the Brazil men's national football team after going on a lengthy rant on his Instagram account over the weekend.
The legendary forward claimed that he made the strong remarks to draw a reaction from the team competing in the Copa America, starting next week.
"I would never abandon Brazilian football, ever. I said that to get a reaction from everyone. I'm going to support Brazil like never before. Brazil needs this support, the young players have a lot of talent and are in dire need of support from the Brazilian people. It's Copa America now and we can come back with a trophy," said Ronaldinho.
After Brazil drew 1-1 against the USA in the last friendly before the start of the Copa America, Ronaldinho went on an astonishing rant where he claimed that the new players did not love the Brazilian jersey.
“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," he posted on Instagram.
"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,” Ronaldinho added.
The 2002 World Cup-winning player announced that due to the poor standards of the team, he would not be watching the continental tournament.
“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."
While Brazil may have lost some of the flair that the previous generations exhibited, they still walk into Copa America as one of the favourites to lift the trophy. The likes of Vini Jr., Rodrygo and Alisson are proven match-winners for their club sides and could play a pivotal part in Selecao's campaign.