Ailton Goncalves da Silva, known simply as 'Ailton' in the world of football, has a well-earned place in the history of the Bundesliga and, of course, at Werder Bremen. He is the sixth-highest-scoring foreign player in the German top tier ever, and in the 2003/04 season, he wrote his name into Werder folklore when they won the title, and he led the scoring charts for the league.
Ailton has all the experience to talk about German football, Bayern Munich's undisputed dominance and Neymar's chances of making Carlo Ancelotti's squad for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2026. Here's what the former Brazil striker had to say to Flashscore.
'Neymar situation' and the World Cup favourites
Let's start with the World Cup - which teams are your favourites?
"I would say France, Argentina and England have good teams. Germany and Brazil because they have the weight of the shirt and tradition, but Spain are very strong. I think anything can happen in a World Cup.
"Germany are doing well today, but you don't know how they will play tomorrow; Brazil are very inconsistent, they have players who are not yet confident. They have a renowned coach (Ancelotti), but the ones who have to play are the players, and I don't see the confidence to get to a World Cup and say 'I am Brazil'.
"Right now, they are not showing great football. But as for Latin America, I'm going to say Argentina and Brazil; and in Europe, France, Spain and possibly Germany."
Should Ancelotti call up Neymar?
"To compete in a World Cup, you have to be at a very high level physically and mentally because it's very difficult. I've never played in a World Cup, but I see that it's a very difficult competition.
"Neymar has an undeniable quality, but he has to change the way he plays because he is no longer the Neymar of before; his physical shape is no longer the same. But he is a player who can make one move and change the whole game. If I were the coach, I would call him up, and he would be on my list of players for the World Cup."
Individually, which players do you think will be in great form for the World Cup?
"France have players who will make a difference at the World Cup. There's (Kylian) Mbappe and (Michael) Olise from Bayern. They are both impressive."
Bayern's power and the Bundesliga
With your extensive knowledge of the Bundesliga, what do you think of Bayern Munich's two-time Bundesliga champions?
"It's very easy to talk about Bayern; they are the best team, they have the best players, and the season they are having offensively is very good. They have players with a lot of potential to define plays, and it's normal in Germany that Bayern are in a good moment."
As a winger, do you think Luis Diaz is in the world's top five?
"Yes, the player has grown a lot and has fitted very well into the system. For a Latin player, when you make a change, it's a bit difficult, because of the language, the mentality, because of the German structure and culture, but as he was already at Liverpool, it helped him to fit in well in Europe.
"He is playing very well, for me, he is one of the best in Europe in attack, and he connected very well with Harry Kane. That's why Bayern have a great attacking power, and that's why they are favourites in the Champions League."
If we compare your time as a player with the present, how much has the Bundesliga changed?
"It has changed a lot. I think that in my time, there were players with more qualities, more weight to play football. In 2004, when I was champion, the difference in points between Bayern and us was only six.
"Very little and behind us came Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Schalke, Stuttgart... They all had very good players, and the level was very high. Today, I see the Bundesliga at a very low level.
"If we take out Bayern and Dortmund, then they are all at the bottom. That's why the Bundesliga has dropped off a lot. We had teams to fight for the Europa League and the Champions League, but today those teams are fighting to avoid relegation. So, everything has changed. Bayern have dominated for more than a decade."
Why do you think that is?
"Football, in general, has changed a lot. Players today are more expensive and are asking for a lot of money to play football. So teams that don't have the financial power can't sign players.
"Talking about Germany, teams like Werder Bremen, or other teams that could fight at the top, signed players that should have had another analysis. There are players who were signed and stayed on the bench, and others stayed at home.
"I'm not just talking about Bremen, but about many teams. And when you have strong economic power, as is the case with Bayern, if one player fails, then there is another one who is there. My point of view is that no quality players have been recruited to fight at the top."
Top-scorer trophy returned & dreams of heading back to Brazil
We know that you regained your 2003/04 Bundesliga top-scorer trophy - how did that come about?
"A manager got hold of my trophy and wanted me to pay a very high fee. I told him no, that he wasn't my agent at the time and that I didn't have to pay any commission.
"Then he took my things when I was in Mexico, and I'm talking about 2006, when I played for Hamburg. I asked for my things to take them out of my flat in Hamburg and take them to Bremen. He took some things to Bremen and my trophies to his house in Cologne. After Turkey, I went to Serbia with a German representative and there the fight started.
"In the end, I had to pay a fee for the process, but I also said: 'Hey, I'll give you extra to settle. If we're going to wait for justice, I'm going to get it. I don't want to sell, and I don't agree with you selling because I owe you absolutely nothing'.
"But that happens with a lot of footballers, who meet bad people. That happens a lot. At that time, I only thought about playing and trusted people."
What is your present life like?
"I live in Germany, and I live a quiet life. I am an ambassador for the club (Werder Bremen). I have to be at events, now in the evening, I have two engagements. I'm quiet, and I want to give my children a bit of European culture, and then I think I'm going back to Brazil, to my village, with my horses... because I like the ranch. I'm about to turn 53, and in two or three years I want to go back."
Is there a moment in life when you say I've done enough, and now it's time to enjoy it?
"I'm going to speak as a father: I have five children. And a family is a huge worry; it's a very heavy burden, and the father is always left with the idea that the children will never grow up and will always need the father.
"I have Ailton and Estela, who are 18, and the others are older; they already have their jobs. The commitment to the families makes the person change their plan, their route. So, in two or three years, I want to return to Brazil. My children will already have their lives on track, their studies already finished. I just have to enjoy the rest of my life, to rest."
Are you in contact with Claudio Pizarro?
"I am always in contact with Claudio. He now has a role at Bayern Munich (an ambassador) and is at a lot of events. The last time I met him was in Bremen at a football event. When we have a bit of time, we communicate and have a coffee, but the communication used to be much more, and now it's a bit less."