During Brazil’s 1-1 tie with Morocco at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, legendary forward Ronaldo Nazario criticized manager Carlo Ancelotti for his “mistake.”
The 49-year-old notably noted that the Italian coach’s decision to start star forward Raphinha on the left wing was confusing.
Raphinha had a fantastic season with the Spanish team Barcelona in 2025–2026. He made 33 appearances for the Catalan team across all competitions, scoring 21 goals and dishing out eight assists despite missing several games due to a hamstring injury.
He started the majority of those 33 games on the left wing, although he was more productive on the right. Ronaldo claimed that Ancelotti’s choice to not use the 29-year-old on the right side was harmful when speaking on ESPN Brasil’s Resenha da Copa.
The former Barcelona and Real Madrid striker, known as “O Fenomeno,” said via Goal, “Raphinha on the left, when he had a fantastic year with Barcelona playing on the right? Some of the choices were hard to grasp, but they started to become better in the second half.
Ronaldo attributed Brazil’s cautious display against Morocco to the nerves and pressure associated with the opening match of a FIFA World Cup. He described the anxiety as ‘normal’ and expressed optimism regarding his nation’s prospects.
He further remarked, “I remain very optimistic. I believe [it was] the pressure of the first game, and I had already observed that, as it was unusual to miss so many passes, particularly in the first half… Later, after watching the interview with Ancelotti and the players, acknowledging this nervousness, I felt reassured as well. It’s normal, right? World Cup, right? Such nervousness among the players, especially the newcomers.”
With all-time leading scorer Neymar unavailable for the group stage due to injury, Brazil’s quest for a record-extending sixth FIFA World Cup title has begun on a shaky note
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