• World Cup

Dunga: I've been brought in to save Brazil

Dunga replaces Luiz Felipe Scolari as Brazil coach © Getty Images

Enlarge

Dunga has been appointed as the new coach of the Brazilian national team.

The 50-year-old had already had a four-year stint in charge of Brazil, which ended after the nation's elimination at the quarter-final stage of the 2010 World Cup.

"I am immensely happy to be back," Dunga said.

"This is not my first time with the team. I was asked to rescue the value of the Selecao and get results. This is my second trip with the request that I prepare the team for the 2018 World Cup. We are going to finish our preparation for the Copa America [in Chile in 2015] and then we will see where our selections are so that we can improve."

He fills the vacancy left by Luiz Felipe Scolari, who had led the nation to World Cup glory in 2002 but was unable to repeat that feat at this summer's tournament on home soil and resigned last week.

Brazil will now seek to recover from their 7-1 humiliation against Germany in their World Cup semi-final and Dunga feels he is ready for the task.

"We are no longer the best," he said. "This is a project we all need to be aware of. Everybody had a concept of football and the World Cup. We can no longer pretend to be the big guys or that we are the best.

Dunga, who captained Brazil when they won the World Cup in 1994, had no experience as a coach when he replaced Carlos Alberto Parreira in 2006, but he led his country to success at the 2007 Copa America and 2009 Confederations Cup during his four years in charge.

Since that time, he has also gained experience of management at club level with Internacional, although he was dismissed in October 2013 after less than a year at the helm.

There has been opposition to his appointment but he told the media he was "ready to receive criticism," adding: "I need to draw the strength from the 20 percent who support me."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd