Brazil right-back Cafu insists his side's early exit from the World Cup should not detract from the reputation of the team.

The defending champions crashed out of the competition at the quarter-final stage on Saturday night when they lost 1-0 to 1998 champions France.

But Cafu believes the Brazilians should still be considered the top side in the world.

The AC Milan defender said: "This elimination should not change the image of the national team.

"They have been in three finals in the past four World Cups, with lots of other titles as well.

"It is not always the best team that wins. We were considered the best team that would give a show."

Cafu was speaking at Sao Paulo's Cumbica airport where 10 members of the Brazil squad arrived on Monday.

However, only Cafu, Cris and Mineiro chose to leave the airport through the main exit, while the other seven opted for a side exit to avoid a hostile reception from a gathering of disgruntled supporters.

Defender Cris, who watched the tournament from the substitutes' bench, believes it is time to analyse exactly what went wrong for the pre-tournament favourites.

"We haven't achieved our goal, even with the best players in the world," Cris said.

"We went to the World Cup as big favourites. Everybody thought we would be champions, but it's time to face the problems," the 29-year-old added.

Mineiro, who replaced the injured Edmilson two weeks before the tournament started, said: "Disappointment is not the correct word, we just haven't achieved our goal.

"Life continues and we must accept our mistakes."