Ronaldinho Says Criticism of Brazil's 2024 Copa América Roster is Part of Ad Campaign

Ronaldinho has walked back what appeared to be criticisms of the Brazilian men's national team ahead of the Copa América, saying his social media post—which included saying Brazil was fielding "maybe one of the worst teams in recent years"—was all a part of an advertising campaign for a deodorant brand and weren't his own words.

"I would never abandon supporting Brazil," he wrote on his Instagram account (as translated by ESPN). "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 added before plugging the deodorant brand.

Here was Ronaldinho's original post on Instagram:

"It's difficult to find energy to watch the games. 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."

Those words, from a Brazilian legend—especially one with a reputation for having a sunny and joyful demeanor—stunned a number of people, including current Barcelona and Brazil winger Raphinha.

"It was a surprise not only for me but for everyone," he told reporters 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."

Brazil's run-up to the Copa América hasn't been great, but it hasn't exactly been awful, with a pair of wins over England and Mexico and draws against Spain and the United States in the past several months.

The country did have a fairly dreadful 2023, however, closing out the year with a 1-1 draw against Peru and three straight losses against Uruguay, Colombia and hated rivals Argentina.

So belief may not be at its all-time highest. Still, Ronaldinho's comments would have truly been a low point for the program had they been his genuine feelings.