Brazilian football has seen better days. The country's Olympic team failed to qualify for Paris 2024, while Brazil's full men's national team, the "Selecao," are languishing in sixth place in the South American World Cup qualifying standings. Utterly unacceptable for a team who have won a record five World Cups.

On Saturday, Dorival Junior became the fifth man in the past two years to take his place in the Selecao's coaching zone — for their friendly against England at Wembley. It seems as if the record-breaking world champions have lost their footballing identity.

Former Brazilian stiker Grafite, who led Wolfsburg to their sole Bundesliga title in 2009, told DW the "jogo bonito" — the "beautiful game" for which former Brazilian stars such as the late Pele were admired — is no longer recognizable. "This type of Brazilian football no longer exists today," said Grafite, who, as an expert for Globo TV, is a keen observer of the development of football in his homeland.

It's not as though Grafite was the first to raise the alarm. After the 2014 World Cup when the Selecao were humbled 7-1........

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