Brazilian football legend Ronaldo Nazario de Lima launched a scathing attack on his country's players after their loss to Norway on Sunday and early exit from the 2026 World Cup.
Norway caused a major upset when their striker Erling Haaland scored two goals to knock out Brazil (2-1), the five-time record holder, from the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup in football.
Ronaldo believed that many technical errors were behind the elimination from the World Cup, indicating that Ancelotti and Vinicius bear responsibility for Brazil's early exit.
Ronaldo criticized the Italian coach's decisions regarding the 26-man squad for the World Cup and his choices on the bench, which he believes led to the defeat against Norway in the round of 16.
Ronaldo did not hesitate to accuse the coach, saying that the main culprit for this failure was Carlo Ancelotti: "Honestly, I think this elimination is due to the decisions made on the bench. Carlo Ancelotti is one of the best coaches in the history of football, but he made many mistakes tonight."
He added: "When Brazil needed their best player, Vinicius, he didn't deliver the expected performance and didn't even show up. The team needed him against Norway... everyone was off the mark."
Since winning the World Cup title in the 2002 edition, which was held in South Korea and Japan, the Brazilian national team has not succeeded in going beyond the quarter-final stage, which is the best achievement it has achieved during its subsequent participations.
