Bruno Guimaraes goes from despair to… What a transformation

The Mag

·16 Oktober 2024

Bruno Guimaraes goes from despair to… What a transformation

This has been some past week for Bruno Guimaraes.

There is a saying that a week is a long time in politics.

Video OneFootball

Well the Newcastle United star could well claim the same in football.

After having worked so hard to become a regular in the Brazil team, Bruno Guimaraes finding that dream perhaps falling apart.

Having started in nine of the ten sides picked by Dorival Junior after he got the job early this year, the midfielder looked set to be a regular for years to come.

However, with Brazil struggling for results, mainly due to shortcomings in forward areas and a lack of goals, the manager announced last week that Bruno Guimaraes was one of a number of players dropped for the key World Cup group qualifier away to Chile. Dorival Junior knowing that this could be his very last month as Brazil boss, if he didn’t get wins against the bottom two sides in the South American World Cup qualifying group.

When announcing the decision at his press conference ahead of that Chile match last week, the Brazil manager was at pains to say that Bruno Guimaraes was still very much in his future plans.

The reality is though, that results can so often dictate things. If you aren’t on the pitch and others do the business in your area of the pitch and the team wins. It is very difficult and extremely unlikely that a manager will then not carry on with a winning formula, especially if the performance is good as well.

With these two October matches against the two worst teams (Chile and Peru) in the group that could well have happened.

This could have been a massive sliding doors moment for Bruno Guimaraes, where it could have gone well for Brazil BUT very wrong for the NUFC star.

Instead, this looks to have been a pivotal AND positive past week for both Brazil AND Bruno Guimaraes.

Maybe Bruno’s dad had a premonition when his son was dropped, as he stepped in and had his own say last week, Dick Guimaraes via his personal Twitter/X account – 10 October 2024:

“Bruno, every opportunity is a chance to show your worth, whether on the bench or on the field.

“Stay focused and prepared, because your time always comes.

“I trust in you!!!”

The rest, as they say, is history.

If Brazil had blown Chile away, every chance we wouldn’t have seen Bruno Guimaraes on the pitch very much at all this past week, maybe one or two brief cameos off the bench.

Instead, Brazil struggled and were fortunate to be drawing 1-1 at half-time, Bruno Guimaraes brought on for the second-half by Dorival Junior.

That did prompt some improvement and Brazil would have taken the lead, as a move initiated by a great pass from Bruno Guimaraes, then saw Raphinha released just inside the Chile half, he put the ball in the net but replays showed he’d gone too soon and was offside. Then reaching the 89th minute another dismal result in prospect for Brazil. Only for then Bruno Guimaraes to pick the ball up and pass to Luiz Henrique, who produced a wonderful finish to win it so late.

Bruno Guimaraes restored to the starting eleven when Brazil played at home to Peru this week, the Newcastle United midfielder one of their best performers as they hammered Peru 4-0. It was Brazil’s biggest win in 17 games.

This was a week when so much could have gone wrong for Bruno Guimaraes. Very possible that Brazil could have found themselves in a humiliating position of facing a struggle to even qualify for the 2026 World Cup, plus the manager potentially then sacked. Also on a personally bad level for Bruno, Brazil could have excelled without him in the two matches and left him wondering what his future, if any, would be with his national set-up.

For somebody who wears his heart on his sleeve and takes things to heart, I dread to think what mindset he could have been in, returning to Tyneside for what is a massive and challenging set of Newcastle United fixtures coming up.

Happily though, for both Bruno Guimaraes AND Newcastle United fans, things couldn’t have worked out more positively for the midfielder. So now he returns ahead of the Brighton match absolutely buzzing I reckon.

On his personal Twitter/X account after making it two Brazil wins in a week, Bruno Guimaraes declared:

“Very important victory!!! Great performance by the whole team.

Let’s continue.

“Let’s go Brazil.

“Proud to be green and yellow.”

Brazil are now well on the way to guaranteeing qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, Bruno Guimaraes is for sure back in place as a regular starter, so now it is a case of keeping this positive vibe flowing as Newcastle United’s playmaker on Saturday against Brighton.

Newcastle United upcoming matches confirmed to end of January 2025:

Saturday 19 October – Newcastle v Brighton (3pm)

Sunday 27 October – Chelsea v Newcastle (2pm) Sky Sports

Wednesday 30 October – Newcastle v Chelsea (7.45pm) Sky Sports+

Saturday 2 November – Newcastle v Arsenal (12.30pm) TNT Sports

Sunday 10 November – Forest v Newcastle (2pm) Sky Sports

Monday 25 November – Newcastle v West Ham (8pm) Sky Sports

Saturday 30 November – Crystal Palace v Newcastle

Wednesday 4 December – Newcastle v Liverpool (7.30pm) Amazon

Saturday 7 December – Brentford v Newcastle (3pm)

Saturday 14 December – Newcastle v Leicester (3pm)

Saturday 21 December – Ipswich v Newcastle (3pm)