Barcelona forward Neymar believes that Brazil have fallen behind other countries after their poor showing at the World Cup.
The hosts were humiliated 7-1 by eventual winners Germany in the semi-finals of the tournament before suffering a disappointing third-place playoff defeat to the Netherlands.
Neymar told Globo: "I think Brazilian football is behind. It's behind Germany and Spain. We've slipped behind and we have to be man enough to admit it."
The striker was forced to watch the semi-final defeat from his coastal home in Sao Paulo after he suffered a fractured vertebrae during Brazil's quarter-final clash with Colombia.