Brazil must accept that their rivals are now better, says Neymar
Brazil star Neymar said his team tried hard for World Cup glory, but other countries have moved ahead of them and they must catch up.
In an exclusive interview with Globo television, the 22-year-old said he and the team deserved at best seven out of 10 for their showing.
Brazil's campaign came to a shattering conclusion when the hosts saw Germany crush them 7-1 in a lop-sided semi-final.
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
By then the Barcelona star was forced to watch from his coastal home in Sao Paulo state after he suffered a fractured vertebrae during the quarter-final with Colombia.
In that game, he was clattered in the back by Juan Camilo Zuniga in a "move that had nothing to do with football", though he accepted the Colombian's apology.
He insisted Brazil had to deal with the idea other teams are moving ahead and that his country has no automatic passport to success based on past glories.
