Sheng-ji Yang posted:

Brazilians speak of the "complexo de vira-lata," or "stray dog complex," a term coined by literary icon Nelson Rodrigues to describe the trauma inflicted by losing the World Cup final to Uruguay in 1950, the last time Brazil hosted the tournament.

Some Brazilians say the vira-lata complex means constant self-doubt as the country tries to measure up to the rest of the world. In many ways, the ambitious 2014 World Cup was imagined as a vehicle for proving that Brazil could host the tournament just as well, if not better, than anyone else.