Caio Ribeiro and Felipe Melo say Brazil have lost their identity

Caio Ribeiro and Felipe Melo: Brazil have lost their identity

The fallout from the Norway exit is not cooling off. Former Brazil striker Caio Ribeiro went public Monday, saying the problem runs deeper than one result. "Brazil need to rethink their approach from the youth categories all the way to the professional level. We need to bring the fan closer to the national team again" (1). Felipe Melo piled on, sharper still. "Where is the respect? The national team was always feared. That is no longer the case" (1). Both pointed to a loss of identity that predates the Round of 16.

Denilson: players need to face the fans

World Cup winner Denilson did not hold back either. His issue is not just the football. It is the silence. "The fan has to feel what you felt. You have to show your face," he said (2). After a 2–1 elimination and the end of an era, he argues the squad owed supporters more than a quiet exit.

World Cup winner hospitalised with chest pains

A Brazil World Cup champion has been admitted to hospital with chest pains (3). No name has been released yet. The report is brief, but fans are worried.

2026 World Cup attendance shatters records

After 100 matches, the 2026 tournament has already drawn more fans than Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 combined (4). The numbers will only climb with the quarterfinals ahead. A record-setting World Cup, just not the one Brazil wanted to be part of by now.

Fan reactions

Brazilian fans are looking elsewhere for comparisons and not liking what they see. One thread on r/worldcup drew a sobering parallel: France now look like Brazil in the late 90s and early 2000s, producing so many elite players they could field two competitive teams, with surplus talent bleeding into other national sides. The OP remembered when that was Brazil's story. Read the full discussion.