Dante has told RMC that Brazil's renaissance following their 2014 World Cup nightmare is down to coach Tite.
The host nation were humiliated 7-1 by eventual winners Germany as they crashed out on home soil, and they were still not at their best at last summer's Copa America Centenario.
That tournament was Dunga's last as coach of the nation he captained to the 1994 World Cup. He was replaced by former Corinthians boss Tite, and the transformation has been marked.
The Selecao became the first team other than hosts Russia to qualify for the next World Cup thanks to their 3-0 win over Paraguay on Tuesday, the latest in a streak of nine successive victories Tite has overseen since taking charge.
Further proof of their recovery will come in the form of the new FIFA rankings which -- when published on April 6 -- will see the five-time world champions top, overtaking rivals Argentina.
"He's a very, very good coach," Nice defender Dante said. "He has done great work with Brazil. He won a lot of things with Corinthians, he's very intelligent, modern. He likes playing with a lot of tactics, intensity, aggression. At Corinthians, he had a lot of respect from all his players. He has given back the joy of playing to the Selecao, and above all, given back confidence. It's important.
"Everyone knows him very well. They were unanimous in wanting him to take charge of the national team. The whole country is going in the same direction, and that's why things are going a lot better."
Tite, who won the Copa Libertadores and FIFA Club World Cup while at Corinthians, has added a rigour to his team's play that means that while they have scored 25 goals under him, they have conceded just two.
"We're improving. We have seen that the way we wanted to play before wasn't giving us much. There's no continuity, no consistency, especially in the national team where you change six or seven players," Dante added.
"They asked themselves questions. You have to be serious, focussed on defensive work, stay compact. It's going a lot better and it's nice to see that people were self-critical and then moved on. A great coach told me: 'You defend well to attack better.' But I think Brazil will never lose that little dream of the dribble or the beauty of football."