Brazil, once again, will fail to hoist the Copa America crown at the end of the summer tournament, and Real Madrid fans can only listen to the derisory comments about their star contingent in South America.
Knocked out by Uruguay and Fede Valverde in the quarterfinals, Brazil could not even muster a goal and only proved Ronaldinho’s bizarrely harsh comments about them and their motivations correct.
If anything, Brazil were even more toothless than what Ronaldinho made them out to be, as they were a national embarrassment in yet another major tournament.
Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior came into the tournament as the main superstar and the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or after another iconic Champions League-winning campaign for Real Madrid.
Vinicius Jr. did end up with one spellbinding performance, scoring a brace in a 4-1 win over Paraguay with a vintage seven dribbles completed.
But he was sub-standard against Costa Rica, failing to help Brazil find a goal against one of the tournament’s weaker teams. And then he was downright woeful against Brazil’s first real test in Colombia.
Furthermore, Vinicius missed the quarterfinal against Uruguay for showing the same ill discipline that has caused critics to wonder if he is really better than the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane.
He could not be there for his team in the quarterfinal after racking up too many yellow cards, and, in the end, Brazil fans can’t help but wonder if that cost them.
Starting in his place was Endrick, who, just like Vinicius Jr., failed to make the most of his opportunity in a huge spot and made more highlight reels for complaining about fouls than actually threatening the opposition defense.
Endrick is talented and hyped, but Real Madrid can see that the teenage sensation is far from ready to match the hype and may not be ready for the Real Madrid first team at all in 2024/25.
Yet the worst Real Madrid player for Brazil was the man donning the No. 10 shirt from Neymar, Rodrygo Goes. He was so poor that he may as well have not played at the tournament at all.
At least Vinicius Jr. had the Paraguay performance, and then Endrick can soften the blow of criticism by being a 17-year-old backup who can’t really answer for an entire team’s failings.
But Rodrygo? He’s been around the block for Real Madrid for years and is seen as a clutch attacking star. He’s also under pressure to prove he should still be starting for Real Madrid in 2024/25 with Kylian Mbappe coming around.
Rodrygo did nothing to quell any doubts about his status, scoring no goals with no assists in a Copa America performance that will only be remembered because it was so disappointingly poor.
The Real Madrid forward did create some chances against Costa Rica and Paraguay, but if five key passes in two games against weaker opposition is the standard for a Real Madrid player, then Real Madrid would not be two-time Champions League winners in the last three seasons.
Rodrygo has the same unfortunate story with Brazil as he does at Real Madrid. The end product is too inconsistent and the overall play on the pitch is too passive, especially when he is asked to be the guy. Rodrygo is a sidekick.
On the bright side, at least Eder Militao had a solid tournament for Brazil, averaging 3.8 combined tackles and interceptions per game while being dribbled past 0.3 times.
Militao only recently returned from a torn ACL, so Real Madrid fans will be mostly happy that the young center back is healthy and productive heading into another grueling campaign.
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