Brazil's 2002 World Cup winner Ronaldinho said his criticisms of this year's Copa America squad were a collection of posts made from fans on social media that he reproduced as part of an advertising campaign for a deodorant brand.

Ronaldinho had earlier posted on Instagram that there is a “lack of love for the shirt” among the team, sparking a defence of the squad by current international Raphinha.

However, hours later, Ronaldinho said those words were not his and he was trying to engineer support for the current side.

“I would never abandon supporting Brazil,” he wrote on his Instagram account.

“These words of abandonment of mine, in fact, were reproductions of real posts from fans on social media. Imagine hearing these reviews before playing? It's not possible, motivation goes down.

“The support of the fans makes a huge difference for the players and what they need is support at this time," he continued before adding a promotion for a deodorant brand.

Ronaldinho, who won the Copa America in 1999, had earlier bemoaned “a sad moment for those who like Brazilian football."

"It's difficult to find energy to watch the games," he wrote. "This is maybe one of the worst teams in recent years, it has no respectable leaders, just average players for the most part.

"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. There's a lack of love for the shirt, a lack of determination and most importantly (a lack of) football.

"The performance has been one of the worst things I've ever seen. It's a shame. That's why I declare I'm giving up here. I won't watch any CONMEBOL Copa America games and I won't celebrate if Brazil win."

The meaning behind Ronaldinho's stunt was lost on current Brazil winger Raphinha, however and the Barcelona forward responded robustly.

Raphinha disclosed that despite his harsh words, Ronaldinho had asked Vinicius Jr. for tickets to watch Brazil live in the United States.

"Vinicius told me that Ronaldinho had requested tickets to see our games," Raphinha told reporters.

Raphinha did not shy away from directly addressing Ronaldinho's comments. "It's surprising to hear such strong words from someone we all look up to," Raphinha said.

"We respect Ronaldinho for what he has achieved, but this is a new generation with different strengths. We need encouragement and constructive criticism, not just negativity.

"We are working hard to bring glory back to Brazil. I think you must know more than I do, he never made such a statement. He always showed his support."