Ronaldinho backtracks on bizarre Brazil criticism after brutal Raphinha response

Ronaldinho has revealed his criticism of the Brazil national team was all part of a strange marketing technique.

The former Barcelona winger attracted significant controversy when he posted on social media that he had "had enough" of "the worst Brazil team in recent years" and vowed not to support the Selecao at this summer's Copa America.

After finding himself under fire for his supposed lack of faith in the team, Ronaldinho has now revealed the entire social media post was all part of a bizarre marketing push for a deodorant brand.

"I would never abandon Brazilian football, ever," he wrote. "And I'd never say those things you see...

"Actually, these words came from real Brazilian fans, they are real comments that I saw on the internet. Imagine listening to these messages before you play? Nope, motivation goes down. Fan support makes a huge difference to the player, I know what I'm talking about.

"Guys, what our boys need is support at this time. The more confidence we show, the more confidence they will have on the field."

Among the many critics of Ronaldinho's posts was current Brazil and Barcelona winger Raphinha, who was asked about the comments before any clarification was offered.

"It was a surprise not only for me, but for the entire group," he said. "I believe you must know more than me, he has never made a statement like that. On the contrary, he always showed support for the team. It ended up surprising a lot of people.

"I consider him an idol, a reference, as does everyone on the team, not just the players but everyone who works here sees him as a reference. It was a blow for us. Obviously, we don't agree, I don't agree, I'm going into my third year and I see dedication, desire, pride in wearing the shirt, I don't agree with what was said, about not seeing determination, desire, of having average players wearing the national team shirt. I completely disagree, everyone has quality, merit."

Asked about suspicions that it could be a marketing campaign, before confirmation arrived, Raphinha joked: "It could be an advertising campaign or not, but we were surprised by his speech, we ended up finding out from Vini [Junior] that he ended up asking for tickets recently to see our game, it doesn't match what was said. It's a surprise to hear this coming from him, but I don't agree, being here I see sacrifice every day."

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