“Barcelona have always had issues with Brazilian players” - Ronaldo Nazario accuses Barca of ‘badly’ treating Neymar, Ronaldinho and himself

Former Barcelona striker Ronaldo Nazario has accused the Blaugrana of mistreating Brazilian players. The 2002 FIFA World Cup winner cited the examples of himself, Ronaldinho and Neymar.

Ronaldo spent a lone season (1996-97) at Barca - plundering a stunning 47 goals - but was inexplicably let go by the club. He would go on to play for the likes of Intern Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milian before calling time on his career in 2011.

Meanwhile, Barca apparently let go Ronaldinho, as they thought it would adversely impact the developing Lionel Messi. Coming to Neymar, Brazil's all-time top-scorer left on a reported world-record fee of €222 million after four successful seasons at the club.

However, Neymar's departure was apparently more due to the player's desire to move out of Messi's shadow than Barca jettisoning him.

Nevertheless, Ronaldo Nazario drew parallels between his history with Barca with that of Neymar as he also mentioned Ronaldinho and Romario, telling Esporte Interactivo (via One Football):

“In the end, my history with Barca was very bad, similar to the one Neymar had. Barcelona have always had issues with Brazilian players: Neymar, Romario, Ronaldinho and me. We were all treated badly by the club in the end, despite all our contributions and dedication.”

Nevertheless, Ronaldo doesn't hold any qualms about Barca but admitted that he felt more at home with Real Madrid:

“Despite all that, Barcelona is an incredible city. But I feel more linked to Real Madrid, with whom I work as a club ambassador.”

Ronaldo scored 104 times in 177 games across competitions for Los Blancos in the 2000s.

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How Ronaldo Nazario's compatriot Ronaldinho fared at Barcelona

Former Barcelona midfielder Ronaldinho

Ronaldo Nazario's former Brazil teammate Ronaldinho also had success at Barcelona since arriving from PSG in the summer of 2003. In five seasons at the Camp Nou, the 2002 FIFA World Cup winner scored nearly a hundred goals (94) in 207 games across competitions.

Ronaldinho played a key role as Barca won successive La Liga titles (2004-05, 2005-06) and the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League, where they recovered from a goal down to beat 10-man Arsenal 2-1 in Paris.

The legendary midfielder was at the club when Barca legend Messi made his first-team debut in November 2003 in a friendly game and reportedly took him under his wings, with the Argentine seemingly destined for greatness from a very young age.

After leaving Barca, Ronaldinho subsequently played for the likes of AC Milan and Flamengo before retiring in 2018.