“If anyone here is afraid to play, pass the ball to me because I want to play and win this trophy.”
It has been more than two years since that half-time speech at the Beira Rio stadium, but manager Tiago Nunes still remembers it vividly.
The team he coached at the time, Ahtletico Paranaense, were playing Internacional de Porto Alegre in the second leg of the 2019 Brazilian Cup final and were drawing 1-1 after the first 45 minutes.
As it stood, following a home 1-0 victory in the first leg, they were risking seeing the game head to penalties if they conceded another goal.
Bruno Guimaraes was far from happy with what he had just witnessed on the pitch. And so, despite being just 21 at the time, he told players much older than him to keep it simple and send the ball to him if they needed to.
It worked out and, after a much better display, Athletico sealed a 2-1 victory and lifted the trophy.
Having already led the team to the Copa Sudamericana title the previous season, the deep-lying midfielder immediately earned near-legendary status in Curitiba.
“That was a tough match, with 50,000 local fans in the stands, so much pressure and it just hadn’t clicked for us in the first half,” Nunes, now manager at Ceara, told BBC Sport.
“But then, when we got to the dressing room, Bruno said those words, even though he was one of the youngest boys around. That just proved his maturity and leadership to play in an environment of so much pressure.”
Guimaraes is now expected to do the same for Newcastle United after the Magpies completed his signing from Lyon in a deal worth an initial £35m.
The 24-year-old had been keen on a move to the Premier League for some time and will be fulfilling a long-time dream as he arrives at St James’ Park to help the team in their fight for survival.
“Technically, he has never been a much better player than others or even the strongest one physically, but he’s a machine. Someone with a winning mentality and competitiveness that has made him a world-class player. The sky is the limit for him,” Nunes added.
Potential to be world’s best midfielder?
So far in his career, Guimaraes has worn the number 39 shirt wherever he has played.
It is the same taxi number his father and biggest supporter, Dick Gomez, drove for more than two decades in their hometown of Rio de Janeiro. Sometimes they travelled 448km with his wife, Marcia Moura, to watch their son play for Audax in Osasco, an industrial suburb of Sao Paulo.
Back then, Guimaraes had been one of the few players to impress in a campaign that saw Audax relegated to the Sao Paulo State Championship second division in 2017. He could have moved to Hungarian football right away, but Athletico made a better bid and secured his services on a loan basis.
Until the very last minute, though, there were other teams looking to hijack the deal.
As he boarded a commercial flight to undergo his medical, the Brazil international found out that Athletico’s main rivals, Coritiba, had somehow managed to place their sporting director by his side on the plane with a salary offer ready to go which would quadruple his money.
He couldn’t believe it, but ultimately chose to keep his word to Athletico and reaped the fruits of that decision after becoming a fan favourite during one of the most celebrated chapters in the club’s history.
Early in 2019, when leaving for Lyon in a 20m euros (£16.6m) transfer, he was greeted by the club’s director and legend Juninho Pernambucano promising to make him “the best central midfielder in the world”.
He is not there yet, but his displays have given reason for optimism in what has been an incredibly difficult season for Les Gones.
‘Still capable of having fun on the pitch’
The man who captained Brazil to the gold medal at last year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo has even been compared to Manchester City maestro Kevin de Bruyne.
“We lack a midfielder who can distribute balls,” said Selecao boss Tite in an interview with France Football in 2020. “Someone like [Paulo Roberto] Falcao in the past. Or like De Bruyne nowadays, capable of bringing more binding, creativity, speed and rhythm. Bruno has enormous potential and can be that player.”
Since then, he has established himself as an integral part of Lyon’s starting XI, impressing with his passing range and elegance on the ball.
While his game can still be improved, especially in terms of finishing and aerial ability, many tip Guimaraes to make an instant impact at Newcastle.
Former Athletico team-mate Marcelo Cirino, currently featuring for Bahia, said: “Bruno is so good that just by looking into your eyes he knows where you want the ball. We’ve got to appreciate a footballer like this. He’s one of those still capable of having fun on the pitch.
“He’s a box-to-box midfielder who can become a reference in the Premier League, not only for his technical skills but also because of his leadership attributes.”
