Bruno Guimaraes salutes Newcastle fans
Bruno Guimaraes said the Carabao Cup final at Wembley was one of the best days of his life
When this international break is over, the club season will be entering the home straight and honours will be decided. Manchester City, despite their strictly indifferent form, remain the bookmakers’ favourites to win the FA Cup, while Arsenal and Aston Villa are considered relative outsiders when it comes to raising the Champions League trophy in Munich on May 31.
And, of course, the only uncertainty about the destination of the Premier League title is when Liverpool win the title, not if. Similarly, it would seem the destination of the top individual honours in English football is also a simple formality.
Mohamed Salah is the top-scorer and top assist-provider in the Premier League’s best team. His numbers are great. His hopes of collecting the 2025 Ballon d’Or were probably extinguished by PSG but he seems a shoo-in for the domestic accolades.
But when members of the Football Writers Association were originally asked to vote for the Footballer of the Year - the English game’s oldest individual award, first won by Sir Stanley Matthews in 1948 - they were asked to consider who ‘by precept and example’ had been the best player.
[
Mo Salah Liverpool contract latest, Reds' 'poor' approach, Saudi shirt and Arne Slot view](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/mo-salah-liverpool-contract-latest-34904853)
And, as sensational as Salah has been, that is why I am sorely tempted to vote for Bruno Guimaraes at the end of this season. He has not been the most outstanding performer in English club football this season. He has probably not been the most outstanding performer for Newcastle United this season.
But the way he led Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final last Sunday and the way he spoke after the match truly reflected a commitment to the supporters. It truly reflected a love of the community that gives him so much love.
Tearfully, he spoke about it being the best day of his life, about wanting to be remembered as Alan Shearer is remembered after he left the club, about Newcastle being his second home. He continued in the same vein with subsequent messages on social media.
Look, Guimaraes could yet end up making a big-money move this summer and his words might not carry the same weight of importance. We all know how football works. But last Sunday, he showed a true understanding of who makes clubs great. The fans, not the owners.
And the captain showed true camaraderie when sharing trophy-hoisting privileges with former captain Kieran Trippier and Jamaal Lascelles, the club captain who has been out for a year with a serious knee injury.
This was ‘only’ the Carabao Cup, don’t forget, and for those with no vested emotion in the club, perhaps the scenes at the end of the win over Liverpool might have seemed a bit much.
But if anyone had any of those thoughts, they were soon banished by the words and deeds of Bruno, a Brazilian who articulated and exemplified everything that is special about the relationship between footballers and fans. And while he has NO chance of being named as the Footballer of the Year, he would be a deserving winner.
Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read ourPrivacy Notice.