Ronaldo took aim at boss Carlo Ancelotti and star man Vinicius Jr after Brazil’s elimination from the World Cup last night.
The five-time winners were beaten 2-1 by Norway with Erling Haaland’s brace proving enough, despite Neymar’s late penalty.
The post-mortem has now started with Ronaldo claiming Ancelotti’s squad selection, that saw Neymar called up instead of Chelsea forward Joao Pedro, started the malaise.
“I have to be honest, I think this elimination starts with the decisions from the bench,” Ronaldo said. “Carlo Ancelotti is one of the best coaches in football history, but he made too many mistakes.
“I still do not understand why João Pedro was not part of this squad. He has had an outstanding season, he is in form, and Brazil needed a striker who could offer something different.
“Then you look at Endrick. Every time he came into this tournament, he brought energy, aggression, and unpredictability. Yet he spent most of the World Cup on the bench. I do not understand that.”
This has not been a good World Cup for Vinicius Jr – Ronaldo
The 2002 World Cup winner also highlighted Vinicius Jr’s ineffective displays as a cause for their early return home.
The Real Madrid winger scored four times in five games but never hit top form.
Ronaldo added: “Vinícius Júnior also has to take responsibility. We all know how talented he is, but this has not been a good World Cup for him. He never looked like the player we see dominate at club level. When Brazil needed their biggest stars, he never really imposed himself.
“Norway deserved their victory, let us be clear. They were organised, disciplined, and Haaland punished every mistake. But Brazil helped Norway with poor decisions even before the match began.
“At this level, one or two mistakes can end your World Cup. Tonight there were too many.”
Vini says sorry after Brazil go out
Vinicius Jr apologised to the Brazil fans after the game.
He said: “Absorbing the elimination like this is very delicate. I have few words to say now because of how the game was, the elimination from the World Cup, not having done the right things in the game I needed to. I apologise to our fans, who believed in us once again, and this time it was not possible. But I will not give up trying to put Brazil at the top again.”
