Brazil's failure at the 2005 World Cup lead to suggestions that the bulk of the squad was now too old, with Neném aged 33 heading into the next World Cup. Alexandre Soares became Brazil's new manager in the summer of 2005 and ushered in radical changes to the squad, shunning longstanding squad members such as Jorginho, Robertinho, Juninho and Neném himself. This was in spite of Neném's reputation of being Brazil's all-time top goalscorer which had earnt him the nickname, "rei da praia" (king of the beach). Subsequently, Neném et al. were controversially not included in the squad for the 2006 World Cup. Soares justified his decisions in claiming that team cohesion was more important than individual brilliance; others, including Neném, cited off-field political strife. His exclusion was met with fury by fans during Brazil's opening game of the tournament against Poland, who chanted "where's Neném, where's Neném!?", something which was repeated throughout Brazil's campaign. Some fans also hurled abuse at Soares on the touchline. However, Soares' choices in dropping such senior players were ultimately vindicated, as Brazil went on to win that year's World Cup.