Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva has slammed former players in Brazil for talking a lot of "nonsense" as the national team attempts to recover from their humiliating 7-1 semifinal defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup on home soil.
Silva, who captained Brazil for most of the Selecao's World Cup run, was heavily criticised in his country for failing to control his emotions throughout the tournament, especially during the side's penalty shootout victory over Chile in the round of 16, after which he could be seen crying uncontrollably.
Silva was later suspended from from Brazil's heavy defeat against the eventual champs after picking up an unnecessary yellow card -- his second of the tournament -- for blocking Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina while taking a quick kick in Brazil's 2-1 win.
Silva hasn't been recalled to the national team since gifting Paraguay a penalty in Brazil's disappointing quarterfinal loss at the 2015 Copa America.
Speaking to Omnisport on Sunday, Silva, who is considered one of the world's finest defenders at club level, says it's "unpleasant" to turn on the TV back home because of the criticism levelled on he and his colleagues.
"I think former players talk a lot of nonsense," he told Omnisport. "Look, they passed by here and know it's not an easy situation. But you need more than just quality because the football has evolved.
"It [criticism] didn't stop in time, as some people said [it would], and sometimes it is unpleasant to watch on TV and see an old guy saying bad things about colleagues who are still playing."
The PSG captain pointed out that Brazilian football has a bright future still, as evidenced by the recent emergence of Douglas Costa at Bayern Munich.
"It makes us really sad, but for me Brazilian football isn't lagging behind. Of course we have to evolve a bit, especially our style of play being more creative, because I think we lost this.
"I think we lost a bit of confidence, but Brazilian football is always well regarded, especially here in Europe.
"I think in Brazil we have this very strong self-criticism, and here in Europe people talk very well, especially of the players who play here -- such as Douglas Costa, who arrived at Bayern Munich and is having an extraordinary season.
"This shows the quality we have and maybe we do not see with good eyes, but we have great players that can theoretically make the Selecao even stronger."