Ronaldinho was right: Copa America was always going to be a wash for Brazil - attention must now turn to 2026

Ronaldinho wasn't the only pessimist in South America. With a crippled squad that lacked established stars such as Neymar, Casemiro and Thiago Silva, expectations perhaps were refreshingly low in the great footballing nation. New manager Dorival Jr had been bold in his squad selection, gutting the side of misfiring European stars and entrusting Brazilian top-flight mainstays and promising youngsters with positions in the squad.

In theory, it took the pressure off.

Brazil, after all, were perhaps third or fourth favorites heading into the competition. Argentina, coming off back-to-back major tournament wins were regarded as the clear frontrunners (and really should win their next two fixtures to round off a third straight.)

Meanwhile, improvements for both Colombia and Uruguay made this a hard road to glory for a Brazil squad undergoing immense change. In theory, there was an understanding - but not quite acceptance - that Brazil would be short of their usual class in the 2024 tournament.

Perhaps the biggest issue was the absence of Neymar. The attacking midfielder and star man tore his ACL in an October World Cup qualifying match, and was declared out for a whole year almost immediately. Fans and players alike knew that they would be without their one true difference-maker - and proven star for the national team.

It also, more broadly, tempered expectations as to how this team might look. Neymar had played in some poor Brazil sides over the course of his international career, bridging the gap between the Joga Bonito side of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Robinho and the more workman-like contemporaries of Casemiro, Fabinho and Bruno Guimaraes. In effect, the Al-Hilal man had become the showman in an otherwise atypical Brazil team, the player to watch in an otherwise industrious side.

Without him, the Selecao were never really likely to be fun. Instead, this looked like a drab unit, punctuated by some top European stars who had never made it happen for their national team. Vinicius Jr was perhaps chief culprit, the Ballon d'Or frontrunner with just three goals to his name in canary yellow.

And so it proved. Everything that could have gone wrong did. The Selecao started the tournament with a 0-0 draw against Costa Rica, managing just three shots on target despite having 74 percent of the possession. They responded strongly by battering Paraguay 4-1. But after that, they faltered, held to a 1-1 draw by Colombia, and eventually deservedly crashed out of the competition on penalties to 10-man Uruguay.

The results were poor, but the manner in which the campaign unfolded was even worse. Ronaldinho's comments before the tournament bred controversy almost immediately, with Raphinha having to defend the side while speaking ill of one of the country's greats. Vinicius failed to exorcise his national team demons in the first game, and after picking up a silly yellow card in the third group game, was forced to watch from the sidelines as his side were knocked out of the competition.

Meanwhile, all of the talk of faith vested in young talent fell flat. Endrick, supposed Pele-regen and future Real Madrid star barely got a kick across the first three games. He was then harshly chucked into a high-octane contest in the quarter-final, and spent 90 minutes being ruthlessly fouled by an unforgiving Uruguay defense. And to cap everything off, they missed two penalties in their final shootout - exiting a second straight tournament on spot-kicks.

This was far from a signature performance.

The role Dorvial had in all of this is largely up for the debate. Certainly, the former Sao Paulo manager picked the team and managed the squad. But he didn't ooze confidence on the sideline, spending most of his time peering from the bench, simply watching as disaster unfolded before him. His changes were too late, and he never quite pieced together a recognizable tactical plan.

Tellingly, he was forced out of the huddle before the penalty shootout, pictured struggling to get a word in as captain Marquinhos seemed to pick the penalty takers. It painted a dour picture for the Brazilian football federation, who hadn't found a reliable replacement for Tite after his resignation in late 2022. They had reportedly assumed, for some time, that Carlo Ancelotti would be their manager for Copa America. But when the great Italian penned a new deal to stay at Madrid, the federation cycled hurriedly hired Dorival - their third manager in just more than a year.

Dorival accepted responsibility for the failure - as any manager really should. But it's hard to fault him much here. He was handed an uncharacteristically poor squad, and not much time to shape it. Sure, Brazil are always supposed to compete at international tournaments, but this was never going to be an easy few weeks. It makes sense, then, that the federation have elected to hold onto the manager until the 2026 World Cup Expectations should have been kept low, and if he is indeed the best manager Brazil has to offer, then he deserves the chance to try to make something work over the next two years.

The manager's first real challenge is to shape this rather odd group of players. His Copa America team featured a glut of Brazilian top-flight utilitymen, who turned in mixed showings across the Selecao's three weeks in the tournament. It was perhaps a shrewd move, though; the Selecao certainly relied too heavily on aging stars who were past their best.

Where he goes from here, though, will be interesting. There is the making of a good team here. Rodrygo, Vinicius and Endrick would make a fine forward line. Joelinton, Guimaraes, Lucas Paqueta and Neymar - should he ever return to full fitness - are all intriguing midfield options. And although the defence is perhaps lacking out wide, Marquinhos, Lucas Beraldo and Eder Militao are top-level European centre-backs. Add Alisson in goal, and this is, in theory, as strong as any South American side not named Argentina.

It is filling the gaps in between that will be an issue. Dorival can either stick with the European stars of old, and hope to get one more cycle out of them. Or he can go young. Vitor Roque and Messinho are on the fringes of the national team as attacking players. Victor Hugo, Gabriel Moscardo and Andre can all add bite to the side. Full-back holes can be filled by Guilherme Arana or the ever-reliable Danilo. The flexibility to do something interesting is very much there.

And so we arrive at 2026. First of all, Brazil will need to qualify. They are currently out of the World Cup picture, and if the tournament started today, the Selecao would not be among the 48-team field. Panic buttons should not be smashed yet; Brazil will certainly qualify.

But that is a bare minimum for a team of this pedigree. Between now and when the first game kicks off at the Estadio Azteca, Dorival has to figure out how to reignite the excitement around this group. Certainly, he has the talent at his disposal. A number of impressive performances - perhaps buoyed by the return of Neymar to the fold - could stir up excitement.

Expectations are going to be an issue. For all of the intriguing options at the manager's disposal, a number of European sides would seem to be better placed for success in two years. Argentina will likely be without Lionel Messi at that point, but it still seems that the South American Football Federation in general will be sending weaker sides to football's flagship global event.

Still, perhaps the mood here should be one of optimism. Ronaldinho was right. Brazil were never going to make any noise at Copa America. They weren't any good to watch, either. But they have put faith in a manager who, at the very least, seems passionate enough to want to change that. If hopes are dire, perhaps there's room to grow.