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Barcelona right back Dani Alves says that his former club manager Pep Guardiola wanted to coach the Brazilian national team at last year’s World Cup. Speaking to ESPN Brazil, Alves told that Pep was even ready to accept a pay package which would be in accordance with the results he achieved with Brazil.
“Ever since I’ve been working with Pep, he has on his mind the Brazilian team that he would like to be coaching. Pep said he wanted to make Brazil a World Cup champion,” Alves told ESPN Brazil.
Alves told that the offer was not heeded to by Brazilian football officials as they were unsure whether the Bayern Munich boss’ would fit in with the football crazy nation’s fans.
“They didn’t want it, because they said that they didn’t know if Brazil would accept a foreign coach,” the 32-year-old said.
Brazil had a disappointing 2014 World Cup campaign in spite of reaching the semifinals stage. They were beaten 3-0 by Netherlands and had to settle for fourth place, but the humiliation they suffered exactly one year ago is something Selecao fans are still finding hard to come to terms with.
Thrashed by Germany
On 8 July 2014, Brazil were thrashed 7-1 in the semi-final clash by eventual champions Germany. Luiz Scolari was replaced after the World Cup as expected, but Alves feels that Brazil had missed a trick by not considering Pep’s candidature prior to the tournament.
Speaking on the anniversary of that painful loss, Alves suggested that Guardiola, who dominated club football during his time at Barcelona by winning 14 trophies in four seasons, including two Champions League trophies, could have rekindled Brazil’s fortunes.
“Pep is the best coach in the world, the greatest sports manager I’ve ever seen. He revolutionised football, revolutionised a team and we had the chance to have him with us. He had an entire strategy to make us a world champion,” Alves told.
In what is sure to invite severe criticism from the football officials, Alves criticised them for not having the team’s interests at heart.
“If you let an opportunity like this go by, then you are not really thinking about the national team,” Alves told ESPN Brazil.
One year on from the World Cup, Brazil endured disappointment yet again, this time at the Copa America where they lost out to Paraguay in the quarter-final stage.
