After the World Cup, Dunga resigned and Mello said he owed Dunga a lot, as it was the latter who insisted on calling him up to the national team and entrusting him with important responsibilities. After Menezes took over, Mello did not receive a call-up, but he still hoped to return to the Seleção: "Participating in the 2014 World Cup is my goal; I want to become a world champion in 2014. Did anyone from the Brazilian Football Confederation or the new coaching staff contact me after Dunga left? No." Reflecting on 2010, Mello's assessment was, "It was a positive year, positive in every way. You learn a lot from failures and difficulties." Mello believed that as long as he performed well at Juventus, he would definitely have the chance to return to the national team: "Juventus is one of the biggest clubs in the world, everyone wants to play for Juventus. It’s a successful club, and I can feel the weight of wearing this jersey. As long as I perform well there, I will have the opportunity to return to the national team."
In the quarterfinals of the South Africa World Cup, Brazil was overturned 1-2 by the Netherlands, and Mello became the main culprit. He first scored an own goal allowing the opponent to equalize, then was sent off with a red card for a malicious foul. Regarding these negative incidents, Mello said, "Sometimes when I sleep, I recall these things, sometimes when we talk about football, they are mentioned. Of course, we won't forget them. But these incidents no longer keep me awake. Anything can happen in football, we are human, and humans make mistakes, that's how it is. The goal where the Dutch equalized was a collective mistake, and after that, the whole team was somewhat distracted for the second goal."
However, after the World Cup, Mello had considered retiring: "After the World Cup, I received a lot of abuse, not only from the media but also from some former players who spoke ill of me, even attacking my family. I am used to pressure, but my family should not be blamed. At that time, I felt the dirtiness of football, and I began to consider retiring. One day, I thought, do I need to continue? My family is affluent, I don't lack money. After the World Cup, I communicated with fans on Facebook and Twitter, and I found that many fans still cared for me. It was my family and the fans who gave me the strength to continue. When I returned from the World Cup to the airport, I heard fans calling me a hero."
The current Mello is obviously much more mature than he was during the World Cup: "It wasn’t the World Cup that made me mature, every minute of life makes you mature. I've learned a lot from children and friends, every detail of life teaches you something and makes you mature."
The year 2010, which is about to end, has been a year of mixed emotions for Mello. After experiencing the lows of the first half of the year and the controversies surrounding the South Africa World Cup, the star signing of Juventus in 2009 finally regained his form in the first half of this season. With the bitterness behind him, Mello is currently enjoying his Christmas holiday in a luxurious villa in Paraty (near the border between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo). Recently, GloboEsporte.com conducted an exclusive interview with Mello at his home. The Juventus midfielder opened up, reflecting on this extraordinary 2010 and looking forward to 2011.
Regarding the memories of this year, Mello said, "Without a doubt, the World Cup left a deep impression on me. Unfortunately, we didn't win the championship. Another memory is my return to peak form at Juventus. There was a period when everyone said Felipe Melo was finished, but I came back. In just two months, I became an idol to Juventus fans. Before games, fans always shout my name and hold up posters with my likeness to cheer me on. I can feel that I am an idol to Juventus fans; someone rated me as the best player in the last two months."
"Will I return to Flamengo in the future? The other day, I met Flamengo president Patricia Amorim at Disney, and we had a conversation. We both know that it would be difficult for me to return to Flamengo, and Juventus wouldn't easily let me go either. Recently, one club (Real Madrid) was willing to pay 35 million euros for me, but Juventus didn't want to negotiate with them. Everyone knows I miss Flamengo, I have the dream of returning, but we must all be realistic. We all know it would be difficult for me to return to Flamengo now."
Mello often gives the impression of being a thug, and he frequently collects red and yellow cards, but Mello has improved recently: "I'm not a thug, I'm just a very tough player. After the World Cup final, I changed a lot. So far this season, I've only received four yellow cards. Do we have a chance to catch up with Milan despite being five points behind? Hernanes of Lazio and Robinho of Milan are playing well, but we've beaten them both. I don't want to talk about the Serie A title right now; I just want to focus on game after game. Every match is a final."