Pep Guardiola: Had an "entire strategy" for making Brazil world champions, Dani Alves claims

Pep Guardiola was desperate to coach Brazil at their home World Cup last year, according to Dani Alves.

Alves, part of Guardiola's all-conquering Barcelona team, was a member of the Brazil squad whose tournament ended in the humiliation of a 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany and a 3-0 beating by Holland in the third-place play-off.

But the Barca right-back claims it might have been different had the Brazilian football authorities not got cold feet on appointing Guardiola instead of Luiz Felipe Scolari when the job came up late in 2012.

Guardiola was halfway through a year's sabbatical at that point, and Alves told ESPN Brasil: "Pep said he wanted to make Brazil a World Cup champion and had an entire strategy to make us a world champion.

Brazil, under Luiz Felipe Scolari's management, were humilated by Germany in the semi-finals

"But they didn't want it, because they said that they didn't know if Brazil would accept a foreign coach.

"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.

"If you let an opportunity like this go by, then you are not really thinking about the national team."

Scolari made way for Dunga after the World Cup, but the new man fared little better at the recent Copa America as Brazil were beaten by Paraguay.