Brazil forward Neymar has slammed the country's training mentality, insisting the nation lags well behind Germany and Spain.
Last summer the Selecao defeated Spain 3-0 in the Confederations Cup and were the favourites heading into the World Cup, but they were humiliated in the semi-finals with a 7-1 loss to Germany after failing to seriously impress throughout the tournament, Goal.com reports.
Neymar, 22, was out injured for the semi-final defeat to Joachim Low's men and the subsequent 3-0 third-place play-off drubbing at the hands of Netherlands, but was one the bright sparks of the hosts' campaign.
The Barcelona forward has criticised the way that Brazilian clubs approach match practice and says they have a lot of catching up to do if they want to nurture more players on a par with teams across the Atlantic Ocean.
"In Brazil it is different. You train more, but sometimes you train with less determination. Brazilians are like that," he told Rede Globo, a Brazilian television network.
"I think Brazilian football is behind. It's behind Germany and Spain. We have fallen behind and we have to man up and admit that," he said.
Neymar is still recovering from the fractured vertebrae suffered against Colombia in the World Cup semi-final. He is expected to return to Barcelona from Brazil on August 5 in a bid to be fit for the start of the League season.