Dan Burn has admitted there was a key moment in the 2024/25 season when Bruno Guimaraes had every Newcastle United player pumped up.
Bruno Guimaraes was named Newcastle captain at the start of the season, with Eddie Howe giving his star midfielder extra responsibility.
It initially looked like the 27-year-old was struggling with the burden of being Newcastle United captain. The armband was weighing him down.
However, Bruno has grown as a leader at St James’ Park, and his crowning moment came in the Carabao Cup final. Bruno captained Newcastle to a trophy, beating Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley in March.
Bruno Guimaraes celebrates with the Carabao Cup trophy on his head after Newcastle United's win over Liverpool at Wembley.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Dan Burn looks back at Bruno Guimaraes’ Carabao Cup final speech
The Brazilian played brilliantly against the Reds, while his team talk before the match proved to be inspirational.
That is the view of Dan Burn, who was asked if he spoke to his teammates in the dressing room ahead of the 2025 Carabao Cup final.
“I remember Bruno spoke beforehand about going on the pitch as players and leaving as legends,” he told the High Performance podcast.
“It got everyone really pumped up.”
Bruno’s pre-match team talk propelled Newcastle United to glory, while his words were used for a Wor Flags display at the end of the season.
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What Dan Burn did before the 2023 Carabao Cup final
While he did not address the players before the game, Burn did have a big moment in the Carabao Cup final. He scored Newcastle’s opener, powering home a header to send the travelling Toon Army wild.
It was very different to the 2023 final, when an overly emotional Newcastle United side lost 2-0 to Manchester United without barely laying a glove on their opponents.
Ahead of that game, Burn did speak to his teammates about the enormity of the cup final and what it meant for the club.
“I spoke at the first final the night before,” he said.
“You know the Man in the Arena speech? I felt as though I wanted to say something, but I didn’t know what I wanted to say. I felt I would regret it if I didn’t. When I was a kid, I never would have done that, but I want people to know how much this means to us. No one can judge anyone who’s not been in this position.
“Obviously we got beat so it meant nought!”
However, Newcastle’s 2023 defeat did not mean nothing.
While it was painful at the time, it allowed Eddie Howe’s side to learn and grow. That meant they were better prepared for the 2025 final, as Newcastle ended their 70-year wait for a domestic trophy.
Interestingly, Newcastle winning the cup was not Burn’s happiest moment in football. Instead, that moment came when Thomas Tuchel told him he was in the England squad.