Ronaldinho's Brazil criticism part of ad campaign

Brazil legend Ronaldinho said his criticisms of this year’s Copa América squad were in fact a collection of posts made from fans on social media that he reproduced as part of an advertising campaign for a deodorant brand.

Ronaldinho had earlier posted on Instagram that there is a “lack of love for the shirt” among the team, sparking a defence of the squad by current international Raphinha.

However, hours later, Ronaldinho said those words were not his and he was trying to engineer support for the current side.

“I would never abandon supporting Brazil,” he wrote on his Instagram account. “These words of abandonment of mine, in fact, were reproductions of real posts from fans on social media. Imagine hearing these reviews before playing? It’s not possible, motivation goes down.

“The support of the fans makes a huge difference for the players and what they need is support at this time,” he continued before adding a promotion for a deodorant brand.

Ronaldinho, who won Copa América with Brazil in 1999 and the World Cup in 2002, had earlier bemoaned “a sad moment for those who like Brazilian football.”

“It’s difficult to find energy to watch the games,” he wrote. “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.”

The meaning behind Ronaldinho’s stunt was lost on current Brazil winger Raphinha, however.

“It was a surprise not only for me but for everyone,” the Barcelona player said earlier on Saturday. “I believe you must know me a lot more than I do. He never made a statement like that. He always showed support. He surprised a lot of people.

“I consider him an idol, a reference, and the others here on the team do, too. Everyone looks at him as a reference. It was a blow for us. We don’t agree, I don’t agree.

“I’m going into my third year in the team, and all I see here is dedication, desire and pride to wear this shirt. I don’t agree with what was said about having average players wearing the shirt. I completely disagree. Everyone here has the quality and merit to wear the shirt.

“We found out, from Vinícius Júnior, that Ronaldinho asked for a ticket to see our game these days, so it doesn’t match what was said. Being here, I see everyone’s dedication every day.”

Brazil’s first game at Copa América comes against Costa Rica on June 24, with Colombia and Paraguay also in Group D.