Juninho ends Brazil career

Brazil schemer Juninho Pernambucano has quit international football.

Brazil schemer Juninho Pernambucano has quit international football after the team's World Cup exit.

The Lyon midfielder, who started the 1-0 quarter final defeat to France, has decided to allow the younger generation to come through.

Juninho is disappointed with the end of his international career, but feels it is time to cease playing for Brazil.

"It is over for me and it has finished in a very bad way," said Juninho about his international career.

"There is total sadness. It is not the time to appoint blame. We all lost."

The 31-year-old is also hoping the other elder statesmen in the Brazilian squad, such as Cafu and Roberto Carlos, will also quit international football.

He added: "We have to think about young guys and build up another team.

"All the ones who are more than 30 have to leave their place to the younger players, to make a new team for 2010."

Meanwhile, Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira felt he did not have sufficient time to mould the individual talent at his disposal into a cohesive team.

Parreira said: "We did not always have enough time to train together as a unit.

"We needed more playing time together. At one point we had eight months when we only had one match in Moscow with Russia, but we also have to acknowledge that we played a wonderful French team who also did very well against Spain."