Ronaldinho isn’t happy with the state of Brazilian football.
The soccer legend took to social media ahead of Copa America, ripping his former squad.
“It’s difficult to find energy to watch the games,” he wrote on Instagram, as translated by ESPN. “This is maybe one of the worst teams in recent years, it has no respectable leaders, just average players for the most part.
“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. There’s a lack of love for the shirt, a lack of determination and most importantly [a lack of] football.
“The performance has been one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. It’s a shame. That’s why I declare I’m giving up here. I won’t watch any CONMEBOL Copa América games and I won’t celebrate if Brazil win.”
Ronaldinho, 44, led Brazil to a World Cup title in 2002 and a Copa America win in 1999.
Brazil will take on Costa Rica on June 24 in their Copa America opener as it looks to get back on track.
The club, in a friendly against the United States this week, drew 1-1 with the Americans.
In December 2022, Brazil was stunned by Croatia during the semifinal round of the World Cup, setting off a forgettable run for the team.
Brazil will be without their current superstar, Neymar, in Copa America after the 32-year-old suffered an ACL injury at the end of last year.
The tournament will be Brazil’s first under Dorival Júnior, who took over the head coaching job in January with a guarantee to bring the team back to their former glory.
“I am here today representing the winningest team on the planet, the one that inspires many around the world,” Dorival said shortly after his hiring, per ESPN.
“And it has an obligation to win again. Brazilian football is very strong, it reinvents itself. We can’t go through the moment we’re going through. We learned the way to victory from Brazilian football. And we need to find that moment again. What we need from now on is to look for solutions.”
