Hours after Ronaldinho harshly criticized members of his upcoming Copa America team on Instagram, the Brazilian soccer legend clarified that his comments were part of an advertising campaign for a deodorant brand.
Ronaldinho posted on Saturday that Brazil would field “one of the worst teams in recent years” for the Copa America, which starts on Thursday, adding that he would boycott the tournament and would not celebrate his country’s victory.
Later the same day, he retracted his original message, saying his words were a compilation of social media posts from Brazilian fans reacting to coach Dorival Junior’s team and were intended to encourage fans to get behind the team.
“I will never abandon Brazilian football,” Ronaldinho wrote, “and I will never say the things you have seen… In fact, these words come from real Brazilian fans, they are real comments I have seen on the Internet… Imagine hearing these messages before playing, it’s impossible, it kills your motivation… The support of the fans makes a lot of difference for a player, I know what I am saying.”
“Guys, what our players need right now is support. The more confidence we show, the more confidence they will have on the field.”
The following post ended with him promoting a deodorant brand.
Ronaldinho played for the national team when Brazil won the 1999 Copa America and the 2002 World Cup, so he knows what it means to bring success to Brazilian fans.
Before the comments were made public, current Brazil international Rafinha spoke out in defence of his teammate.
“It was a surprise, not just for me, but for everyone,” Rafinha said. “You all know me better than I do. He has never said anything like that. He has always shown his support. It surprised a lot of people.”
“I see him as an idol, someone I can rely on, and so does the rest of the team. Everyone sees him as someone they can rely on. It was a blow for us. We don’t agree, I don’t agree.”
“It’s my third year with the team and all I see here is the dedication, passion and pride in wearing this shirt. I don’t agree with the idea that the shirt should be worn by an average player. Absolutely not. Everyone here has the quality and the value to wear this shirt.”
“I heard from Vinicius Junior that Ronaldinho asked for tickets to watch the game the other day, so that doesn’t match what I was told. Every day I’m here I see the dedication of everyone.”
Brazil will open its Copa America schedule against Costa Rica on June 24 before finishing off the group stage with matches against Paraguay and Colombia.
After the tournament finishes next month, Brazil will resume World Cup qualifying in September with matches against Ecuador and Paraguay. Brazil currently sits sixth in the CONMEBOL standings, eight points behind leaders Argentina with 12 games remaining.
