Newcastle United playmaker Bruno Guimaraes has the talent to play for Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid when the time comes to leave his Premier League employers, the Brazil international’s former Athletico Paranaense coach Tiago Nunes tells Sport.
Should Elon Musk ever set up a football tournament on the burnt-red surface of Mars, then ‘IRL Iron Man’ could do a lot worse than to give Newcastle’s number 39 a call.
Because, according to Nunes, Bruno Guimaraes is a footballer of truly cosmic, out-of-this-world talents.
“Bruno Guimaraes without a doubt,” the well-travelled Nunes says when asked to name the footballer who has impressed him the most during his nomadic coaching career.
“He’s a very complete midfielder, who seems to have four eyes. He plays with a camera above his head; he has a 360 degree view. I remember, when I had him at Paranaense (in 2018/19), that Benfica asked me if he had the level (required to play for them).
“And I told them ‘no, he has the level to play for Barca, Madrid and Mars if he wanted! But they didn’t sign him, and he went first to France and then to England.”
Bruno Guimaraes has made an outstanding impact at Newcastle United
Eight months after landing on Tyneside, speculation over Guimaraes’ future at St James’ Park is already on the rise. Real Madrid have reportedly identified the one-time Arsenal target as a long-term successor for Toni Kroos or Luka Modric at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Eddie Howe can rest easy for the time being, however. With four years left on his contract, Guimaraes is in no rush to dig out his passport again.
“It’s a dream come true to be playing in the Premier League,” Guimaraes tells FourFourTwo. “Everything is amazing. Sometimes I think to myself; ‘I was born for this, for the Premier League’. I already feel at home here.
“The fans are crazy about me, and nothing beats that in football. Honestly, I get so much love out on the streets that sometimes it feels like I’m the mayor of the city!
“Newcastle have been through difficult times in the recent past and now they’re bouncing back. Every single home game is wonderful, because the atmosphere is incredible – it’s totally different from the atmosphere at any other Premier League ground.
“Our fans remind me of Brazilian fans and South American fans. It’s damn good to play in a place like this.”
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