BRAZIL, — Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldinho has vowed not to cheer for the Brazil soccer team – or even watch a Copa America match – just weeks before the tournament begins in the United States.
Ronaldinho made his comments in an Instagram post on Saturday morning, just days after Brazil tied the United States in a friendly, 1-1.
Written in Portuguese, the caption of the post translates in English to:
"That's it guys, that's it for me. This is a sad moment for those who love Brazilian football. It's difficult to find the energy to watch the games. This is perhaps 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 child, long before I thought about becoming a player, and I've never seen a situation as bad as this. The shirt lacks love, lacks determination and most important of all: football. I repeat: our performance has been one of the worst things I have ever seen. A shame. Therefore, I declare my abandonment here. I will not watch any CONMEBOL Copa América™ game, nor celebrate any victory."
He helped lead Brazil to winning the 2002 FIFA World Cup and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time.
In their last 10 matches, Brazil has won four times, tied three matches and lost three times. The losses have came against fellow South American countries Uruguay, Argentina and Colombia. Brazil's three ties were versus Venezuela, Spain and the United States.
Brazil is set to take on Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay in Group D of Copa America. The tournament kicks off on June 20 and Brazil's first group match against Costa Rica is June 24.
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