One of the greatest Brazilians
to ever grace the game, Ronaldinho recently
put out a hard-hitting statement about the terrible standards that
the Brazilian national team has fallen to. He berated the quality of players
and questioned their love for the Brazilian shirt. He didn’t take any names,
but the message was clear and turned heads not just in Brazil,
but all over the globe. Ronaldinho comes from one of Brazil’s
most dominant eras in football. He won the World Cup in 2002
and played with all-time greats like Ronaldo, Cafu, and Rivaldo among
so many other legends. Brazil drew against the United States
in their recent friendly just before the Copa America begins
in the last week of June. Ronaldinho then went on Instagram
to post a seemingly heartfelt rant that ended on the note
that he won’t watch the Copa America, nor would he celebrate any Brazilian victory. He even mentioned how there are mostly average players in the team
and no respectable leaders. This spread like wildfire across
the internet within a matter of hours. Ronaldinho’s
usual jovial personality made everyone take these out-of-character claims
very seriously. Current Brazilian and Barcelona player, Raphinha, was questioned about his
take on the Brazilian legend’s views. The winger shrugged them off
as a possible advertisement for something else, mentioning how Ronaldinho asked for tickets
from Vinicius Junior a few days ago. He ended on the note that the statement came as a surprise,
and Raphinha didn’t agree with it. Since the controversy, Ronaldinho has
already clarified that the harsh message was a wake-up call directed
towards the fans rather than the players. He said that the previous statement was exactly how some fans viewed players
and the national team. He had to grab everyone’s attention
to make them aware of how important it is for fans to support the team and players
with unwavering support. A controversial approach to turn
national focus towards the upcoming Copa America, it definitely worked in terms
of garnering the world’s attention. But even if the initial statement
was misleading, the fact that everyone took it
at face value definitely points to a deeper problem
brewing. There is no denying that
for more than a decade now, the Brazilian side has faced a fair
few humiliations on the big stage. The nation with the most World Cups
under their belt, a whopping 5 times,
hasn’t claimed the title in 22 years. Ronaldinho was part of the last World
Cup-winning squad in 2002. The unfortunate 2014 campaign on home soil was one of the most upsetting campaigns
in Brazilian football history. But an increasingly prevalent sentiment
since then has deeper implications
than just a trickling trophy count. There is a looming identity crisis
gripping the nation and the “Brazilian flair” we’ve all grown up watching to love
is feared to be losing its roots. Ronaldinho statements have given rise
to a crucial debate regarding the future of Brazilian football. But to gain insight into their future,
we need to take a peek at their past and try to pinpoint the
inception of their decline. It’s not like Brazil hasn’t seen its ups
and downs before. After the era of Pele
and Garrincha brought 3 World Cups, Brazil fell into a slump in the 70s
and 80s. They failed to win a major trophy
for about 2 decades before the 1989 Copa America victory brought much-awaited
celebrations in the country. Romario led them to another World
Cup victory in 1994, triumphing over a strong Italian side
after penalties. This was the same match
where Roberto Baggio took the last penalty for Italy and became “the
man who died standing”. In 1997, Brazil won the Copa America again
as well as the Confederations Cup. This team included a plethora of legends
and the football they played on the pitch was a spectacle to watch. Ronaldo was an enigma in himself,
but even the identity of free-flowing Brazilian football was at its peak back
then. Brazil came extremely close
to winning the World Cup again in 1998. They lost against France in the final. But a year later, they were Copa
America champions again in 1999. Rivaldo and Ronaldo played
as if they were on a school playground. But one of the most memorable World
Cup campaigns came in 2002 for Brazil. The legendary team was extremely well-balanced
and bursting with individual quality. The back four against Germany in the final had Roberto Carlos, Lucio, Roque Junior,
and Cafu. The fullback pairing was one
of the greatest duos in football history. Before Liverpool's or Bayer
Leverkusen's wing back revolution Cafu and Roberto Carlos were showing
levels ahead of time. Edmilson as the lone 6 was crucial
during this Brazilian era, with Gilberto Silva and Kleberson
to make up the midfield three. Ronaldinho was hitting
the peak of his career and made the world fall in love with his skilful
and entertaining ball-carrying. He played as the Number 10 in that final,
with Rivaldo and Ronaldo up top. A young
Kaka was also on the bench that day. The 2002 World Cup squad was reaching its twilight
years, and the likes of Ronaldo and Rivaldo were coming to an end
with their illustrious careers. A new generation of Brazilian players
slowly replaced the old guard. Kaka and Ronaldinho were taking the world
by storm for their respective clubs, but the legendary Brazilian side
had given way to even newer talents. In 2004, relatively newer faces
like Julio Cesar, Maicon, and Adriano led Brazil to another Copa America victory
against bitter rivals Argentina. This was repeated in the Confederations
Cup final in 2005, as Kaka, Ronaldinho, and Adriano
all scored against Argentina to win 4-1. While it wasn’t the same side in
terms of world beaters in every position, the amount of individual
quality on display was still phenomenal. The 2006 World Cup featured a few familiar
faces from the previous installment, but a quarter final exit at the hands of
France ended their campaign prematurely. Another Copa America
final victory against Argentina in 2007 meant Brazil’s
trophy cabinet was stacked with gold. But ever since the turn of the century,
a once-strong Brazilian domestic league was starting to show signs of wear
and tear. The increasing rate of commercialisation
in football left a few nations behind. Soon the Brazilian leagues would become scouting grounds for bigger
and richer leagues across Europe. Now this is an important point
to take into account when we talk about the loss
of Brazilian flair. Players who grew up playing football
in Brazil’s ecosystem and domestic leagues had a certain style of play
ingrained in them from the start. The roots of such players were built
purely on the Brazilian style of football. They might grow up and move abroad, but the instinctive style of play was
already well-established in their game. But with the decline of domestic
leagues, youngsters were scouted and brought to academies abroad
at an early age. These players would develop away
from the Brazilian ways, and train under so-called “modern
training techniques”. These modern ways
value efficiency and teamwork over any form of individual expression
on the field. if the majority of Brazilian
national players have been playing abroad from a very young age,
the loss of identity in terms of their historical style of play
is bound to be lost. But that’s not all in terms
of the downfall of the national side. There have been inconsistent
managerial appointments that haven’t been able to incorporate a blend of modern
tactics with Brazilian flair. Ever since the 2007 Copa America title, Brazil has been struggling
on the international stage. This includes the 2014 World Cup which saw a disheartening 7-1 defeat
in front of the home crowd. Going from the likes of Cafu
and Dani Alves to Danilo
is bound to play its part as well. But the lack of individual quality has never stopped Brazil from being
top-tier entertainers on the big stage. The tactical revolution in recent times
has shifted focus from individual excellence
to team cohesion and buildup. Brazil have been knocked out of the World Cup in the previous
5 tournaments spanning over 2 decades. Even the Copa America titles
came to a stop after 2007, until Neymar led the team to victory in 2019
after a 12-year drought. Neymar has outshone almost every player on the planet bar
Messi and Ronaldo in this modern era. In fact, there's a legitimate argument
to be made about the technical side of Neymar's game being potentially
stronger than Ronaldinho's. Now that's a debate for another day but
the question it raises is, how come Neymar dodged the modern infliction of tactics
on his individual game? An important factor
other than being a prodigy, is that he moved from Brazil’s domestic league
after turning 20 years of age. This gave him ample time to learn
the Brazilian ways before moving abroad. He entertained us more
than any other Brazilian since Ronaldinho. But an underwhelming decade has turned
into a disappointing couple of decades as the new batch of players have struggled to reach the heights
of their predecessors. The 2022 World Cup was a hard
watch for Brazil as they looked like another average team trying to make do
with insufficient player quality. In all honesty,
the way football is progressing in terms of tactical innovations and cutting out
unnecessary phases of play, the times of free-flowing
football are looking bleak. These days a few flicks from Lucas
Paqueta are enough to move us to the edge of our seats. But with the increasing
popularity of football across Europe and simultaneous stagnation at Brazil’s
domestic league level, young talent is bound to keep
getting streamed outside the country. Real Madrid letting Endrick stay in Brazil
for another year on loan is a great way to let him brew in the national ecosystem
during the development stage. The future of Brazil’s front 3 seems
to be huddled together at Real Madrid with Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo,
and now Endrick. The 2026
World Cup might come too soon for Brazil to form a coherent enough squad
to be considered contenders. But there is a need to combine
modern elements with classic Brazilian football
in order to find their identity again. So what do you think about Ronaldinho’s
statements? Was he correct to point out the massive gap in quality
and previous standards in Brazil? Or is this just another slump
that will be crossed over in due time? Let us know in the comments below.
