In a summer where a certain Alexander Isak has demonstrated characteristics not wanted at any football club, Newcastle United’s captain has stood up for the club and its supporters in a unique and effective way.
There were questions twelve months ago when Bruno Guimaraes was designated Newcastle’s new ‘on-field captain’ in place of Kieran Trippier, but the Brazilian has emphatically answered any doubters.
Bruno’s all-action style was always going to be well suited to the Premier League, and his passionate and emotional personality immediately endeared him to supporters. He elevated Newcastle’s team to a new level as a player, announcing himself with an outrageous backheel volley goal against Southampton. He has not looked back.
21 further league goals have followed in 126 league appearances, many of them exquisite goals and several at critical moments – his headed winner to complete a comeback against Leicester and his strike against Brighton to all but confirm Champions League football stand out. As Americans say, Bruno is clutch.
Bruno’s durability is almost unheard of in modern football. Against Leeds he started his 67th Premier League game in a row. Being available for every game is such an incredible asset for Eddie Howe and undoubtedly contributed to the decision to hand him the armband. This is a player who celebrated becoming a father with a remarkable performance less than 24-hours after his son was born in a win at Spurs. He routinely tops the distance covered charts. He never stops, and for a few months in 2023/24 pretty much single handedly ran Newcastle’s midfield.
It took Howe a while to figure out the balance in the midfield when Sandro Tonali was available, and Bruno moved from his defensive midfield position in the middle of Howe’s three out to the right-hand side, where he is freed up to create and attack more. It is a move he made seamlessly which speaks to his versatility, and he retained the tenacity and aggression that make him such a difficult opponent. Like many great players, he strays very close to the edge of fair play, and for the most part manages to stay on the right side of the line.
Almost four years after signing, Bruno is such a part of the furniture that he is, at times, taken for granted and even underrated, particularly post-Tonali’s emergence. Towards the end of last season, I tweeted surprise that Bruno wasn’t in many fans’ conversations for Newcastle’s player of the season. The man himself liked the tweet which shows he is aware of social media sentiment. He has also hit out on social media to reactive fan accounts when things haven’t been running smoothly. Bruno is always the player of the season for me.
For my money Bruno is the best central midfielder to play for Newcastle in the Premier League era. He would walk into Keegan and Robson’s teams, and he embodies the spirit and tenacity of Howe’s squad. He is a remarkable footballer. It is a privilege to be able to watch him every week.
But for all Bruno’s talent, it is his character and personality that has really elevated him into the pantheon of Newcastle legends. He has embraced the culture of the region and the club in a way few foreign players have before. His dad is a regular in the away ends and his two infant sons are Geordies. He has just got what it means to represent Newcastle United from day one.
Bruno is always front and centre in the club’s social media content, whether he’s playing head tennis with his great mate Joelinton, or judging a cook off between Miggy Almiron and Anthony Gordon. He is a social media team’s dream, and it is clear he is the key character in terms of the positive team culture that Howe has developed.
Bruno’s tears at full-time of the Carabao Cup Final were beamed around the world. He knew what winning that trophy meant and in breaking down with emotion he reflected the feelings of the legions of Newcastle fans at Wembley, back at home and around the world. It was not for show. He marked the success by getting a tattoo on his leg. This type of thing might seem inauthentic from others, or playing to the gallery, but with Bruno it feels genuine.
Eddie Howe absolutely loves Bruno. “He is the fulcrum of everything…He has never shied away…Very motivated to help the team…Players like Bruno are very, very rare…A special talent”. And this is not to mention Howe completely unprompted referencing Bruno’s professionalism and desire to play for Newcastle when answering a question about Isak this summer. Howe has been vindicated in his decision to hand Bruno the captaincy and it is difficult to imagine a Howe team without the Brazilian now.
Last summer, Bruno was in a not too dissimilar position to that which Isak was in this time. He had proven his ability at Premier League level and was coveted by rivals with a more immediate chance of competing for the top prizes. Bruno’s agent had sensibly negotiated a release clause for summer 2024 when extending his contract. Newcastle had done something equally logical and ensured the clause expired early enough that it wouldn’t derail the entire transfer window if it was triggered.
Thankfully the release clause wasn’t matched, although in hindsight Bruno’s sale at that juncture was probably the club’s one and only plan for escaping the PSR strife they got themselves in. Nobody reasonable would have begrudged Bruno a move to a Champions League challenger at that stage, because he never behaved anything other than respectfully towards Newcastle United. If the Isak saga has shown anything it is not to trust footballers, who are ultimately in it for themselves. That Bruno didn’t agitate or kick up a fuss again shows his affiliation with the club and the city.
When Isak released his statement on social media, not ten minutes had passed before Bruno posted a statement of his own – an image of himself standing proud and staring directly down the camera. A message of defiance, loyalty and unity by the captain of a club who has made that role his own.
Our brilliant, Brazilian adopted Geordie.
