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Raphinha hits back at Ronaldinho as Arsenal star makes Brazil appeal

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Raphinha hits back at Ronaldinho as Arsenal star makes Brazil appeal

Barcelona winger, and long-term Arsenal transfer target, Raphinha has hit back at comments made by Brazil legend Ronaldinho ahead of this summer’s Copa America. The footballing icon caused controversy on Saturday after slamming Dorival Junior’s side following a 1-1 draw with USA.

“That’s it folks, I’ve had enough,” Ronaldinho wrote on Instagram after the match. “This is a sad moment for those who love Brazilian soccer. It’s getting hard to find the spirit to watch the games. This is perhaps one of the worst teams in recent years, it has no respectable leaders, only average players for the majority.




“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. Lack of love for the shirt, lack of grit and the most important of all: football. I’ll repeat, our performance has been one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. Such a shame. I therefore declare my resignation. I will not watch any CONMEBOL Copa AmericaTM game, nor celebrate any victory.”

Arsenal pair Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes both started the game on the bench as Rodrygo opened the scoring inside 20 minutes. Martinelli came on as a substitute whilst his Gunners teammate was left out of the action for the entirety. Christian Pulisic hit back shortly after though with Brazil now just a week away from starting their Copa America campaign against Costa Rica.

It certainly left a negative impact on Ronaldinho, but Raphinha has come back to defend his teammates, saying that the reaction was “a surprise not only for me, but for the whole group.” He continued: “I think you must know more than I do, he never made such a statement [to us].

“On the contrary, he always showed his support for the team. I consider him an idol, a reference. Everyone in the team, not just the players, but everyone who works here, sees him as a reference. It has been a hard blow for us.

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