Former Brazilian striker Ronaldo Nazário apologized to Neymar on Monday after suggesting that the Santos forward does not have a good relationship with Ednaldo Rodrigues, the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).

"I would like to apologize to Neymar for talking about his relationship with the president of the CBF. As a former player, I know how harmful poorly told stories can be," said the former player, now a businessman and owner of Real Valladolid in Spain, on his social media.

The statements and the misunderstanding

Last week, in an interview on the program 'Charla Podcast', Ronaldo suggested that the former Al-Hilal player partly blames the CBF president for the serious injury he suffered in October 2023 when he tore his ACL and meniscus in his left knee during a match against Uruguay in Montevideo.

According to 'O Fenômeno', the Canarinha star believes the injury was actually due to the poor state of the pitch at Arena Pantanal in Cuiabá, where Brazil had played a few days before against Venezuela, drawing 1-1.

"As far as I know, he doesn’t get along with Ednaldo Rodrigues. He blames Ednaldo for his ACL injury, saying it happened on the Cuiabá pitch with uneven grass. That’s what I heard; I can’t confirm if it’s true. That’s what I heard," Ronaldo said during the interview.

The apology and support for Neymar

Three days later, Ronaldo issued an apology and also praised Neymar. "I know how much your talent can make a difference for the Brazilian national team. That’s why I support you," he commented. The apology from the former Barcelona and Real Madrid player came on the same day that Rodrigues was re-elected as president of the CBF, after Ronaldo withdrew his candidacy for the position due to lack of support.

Neymar, 33, is currently recovering from a muscle injury that prevented him from playing for the Brazilian national team, which is preparing for a match against Argentina this Tuesday in Buenos Aires, in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.