Arsenal midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has celebrated his 50th Brazil appearance in pretty much the perfect way.
He scored in Tuesday’s 4-2 win over Australia and, for the first time, also wore the captain’s armband for his country.
It’s another sign of the status Guimaraes now enjoys with Carlo Ancelotti. The midfielder has become one of the manager’s most trusted players. Only Vinicius Junior has played more minutes under the Italian since he took charge of Brazil.
Arsenal midfielder has Ancelotti’s trust
It’s easy to see Guimaraes’ importance to Ancelotti these days. The Arsenal star has played 1,299 minutes under Ancelotti. Vinicius is the only player ahead of him, on 1,318.
Tuesday then provided another landmark. Guimaraes made his 50th appearance for Brazil and scored against Australia. With Marquinhos rested, he also took the armband after Raphinha went off at half-time.
It was the first time he’d captained his country. The numbers show how far he’s come since making his international debut in November 2020.
| Bruno Guimarães for Brazil | Total |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 50 |
| Starts | 39 |
| World Cup qualifiers | 23 |
| Friendlies | 16 |
| World Cup appearances | 7 |
| Copa America appearances | 4 |
| Minutes played | 3,174 |
| Minutes under Carlo Ancelotti | 1,299 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Assists | 12 |
| Yellow cards | 8 |
From newcomer to Brazil captain
“I’m very grateful and happy with the milestone,” Guimaraes said to Globo Esporte.
“Being here, wearing this shirt, is everything my family and I once dreamed of.”
“Things have always happened at the right time for me with the national team. The first cycle was about joining the group and going to my first World Cup. Then I managed to earn my place and had a World Cup where I could play.”
“Now, in this new cycle, I’m serving as a bridge for the younger players who are coming through. I’m very happy here and I hope I can reach other milestones. Hopefully, from now on, we’ll have trophies to celebrate.”
Well, Guimaraes was “only” a supporting player at the 2022 World Cup. He then established himself under the managers who followed and has become a key man for Ancelotti.
Getting the captain’s armband on appearance number 50 feels like a neat marker of that progression.
Missed penalty is in the past
There was another interesting moment against Australia, too. After missing a decisive penalty against Norway at the World Cup, Guimaraes could have had another opportunity from the spot. This time, Ancelotti selected Vinicius to take it.
“After everything about that penalty, a lot of things came out,” Guimaraes explained.
“There’s no ego here. In the last World Cup game, Ancelotti told me to take it. Today he told Vini. Vini also needed a goal and I’d already scored. There’s no ego here. We want what’s best for Brazil.”
“I’m happy for him, happy with how we played. Now it’s about continuing the work.”
In the end, his international break has given another reminder of the player Arsenal signed this summer.
