Ronaldinho in spat with Flamengo coach Santana

SAO PAULO (AP) — Ronaldinho continues to struggle in Brazil and now even his coach at popular club Flamengo seems to have lost patience with the former two-time FIFA player of the year.

Ronaldinho complained of the team's tactics after a 1-1 draw against Sport in its opening match in the Brazilian league this weekend, irritating coach Joel Santana. The former South Africa coach, Santana hinted the team disappointed because Ronaldinho didn't play well.

Ronaldinho has been criticized by fans and local media for his poor performances and the team's disappointing results this year, and there have been talks about the player possibly leaving the club. It doesn't help that Flamengo has been struggling to pay for the player's high salary, prompting Ronaldinho's agent to complain recently.

Ronaldinho's lackluster performances have already cost him a place in the national team, and he is not likely to return to the Olympics with Brazil as he said he wanted.

Coach Mano Menezes left him out of the team which will play four friendlies in preparation for the tournament in London and hinted he will not include the former Barcelona star in the final Olympic squad. The coach recently said Ronaldinho is "not playing as well as he was before."

Ronaldinho said Saturday after the Brazilian league draw with Sport that he didn't like the way the team played tactically.

"We played with two strikers and Sport with three defenders, it's hard," he said. "In the second half we had three on three and it was better."

Santana said he didn't like to see Ronaldinho giving his opinion on how the team should play.

"The only one who can talk about the team's tactics is me, nobody else," he said. "We played just the way we practiced, I don't know what Ronaldinho was talking about. We had some players who didn't play well. I'm not going to talk about Ronaldinho. You saw what happened, I don't have to say anything."

Flamengo had been out of action for a month after being eliminated in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores and in the semifinals of the Rio Cup, the second stage of the Rio de Janeiro state championship.

Former Flamengo player Zinho, who has been hired to manage the team's football department, said Monday he will try to talk to both Santana and Ronaldinho to make sure they get on the same page and move forward.

"We will discuss this and try to understand what is happening," he told local media.

It is not the first time Ronaldinho has problems with coaches, and Vanderlei Luxemburgo was fired from Flamengo in February in part because he was at odds with the former Brazil star.

Last month, Flamengo's biggest fan group published a letter on its website criticizing Ronaldinho and accusing him of being unprofessional for his alleged appearances at parties and in night clubs.

Flamengo has been having difficulties paying for Ronaldinho's salary since ending its partnership with sports marketing group Traffic, which had been in charge of the majority of the nearly $700,000 that the player reportedly receives.

Ronaldinho's agent and brother, Roberto Assis Moreira, recently complained of the delays in salary payments and said many teams in and outside Brazil were interested in signing the 32-year-old player. Ronaldinho's wages were delayed for several months last year.

Ronaldinho became one of the most high-profile acquisitions by a Brazilian club when he joined Flamengo at the beginning of last year. He struggled in his first few months and was jeered by fans, but bounced back and was instrumental in Flamengo's title in the Rio de Janeiro state championship in 2011.

He then helped Flamengo earn a spot at this year's Copa Libertadores and regained a spot in the national team, but his struggles after that have put him under pressure again throughout this year.

Ronaldinho helped Brazil win the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, but was in the team that was eliminated by France in the quarterfinals of the 2006 tournament in Germany. He was not picked for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.