Brazil have created a huge controversy after naming out of form player Ronaldinho in the squad for the London Olympics. Only three players over the age of 23 can be included into the Olympics squad. After picking number of players over the age of 23, Brazilian coach Mano Menezes surprised everyone by including Ronaldinho in the squad. The former Barcelona great was marginalised by the previous manager Dunga, and was overlooked for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The players taken for the Olympic squad include the likes of Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Ronaldinho.
The former Barcelona player is currently plying his trade in Brazil after having moved to Flamengo – the Brazilian club – from Italian giants AC Milan a few seasons ago. Even though he has lost most of the talent that made him one of the most feared players in the world, Mano Menezes has obviously saw something in him that would help him at the Olympics. A squad comprising 53 players has been announced for now, but it will be shortened to just 18 players when the competition kicks off in the summer. Players like Lucas, Alexandre Pato, Neymar, and Paulo Henrique Ganso have been included in the squad as the players under 23.
The Olympics tournament should involve players only under 23 years of age, but the Brazil manager Menezes had a total of 16 players over the age of 23 in his preliminary squad. However, after announcing the squad Menezes said that he is extremely confident that Brazil will be able to clinch gold at this year’s Olympic tournament. The tournament will be held from July 26th to August 11th. The last time Ronaldinho was in the Brazilian Olympic team, they snatched the silver medal in China with Argentina winning the gold.