Arsenal knew they were getting an excellent midfielder when they signed Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle United this summer. What they also appear to have acquired is a ready-made leader.
That shouldn’t be a surprise of course. Guimarães even went viral in one of his first Arsenal games for instinctively reaching to adjust a captain’s armband that wasn’t there.
Even with a few wounds and scars, he is now one of the experienced heads in Brazil’s squad. And he’s embracing that responsibility as Carlo Ancelotti starts bringing a new generation into the national team.
That’s quite a change for a player who remembers arriving for his first Brazil call-up in 2020 and relying on the senior players around him. Six years later, the Arsenal midfielder is the one expected to help everyone else settle.
Guimarães embracing senior role
Brazil have nine first-time call-ups in their squad for this international break, as highlighted by Brazilian newspaper Correio da Manhã. Bruno Guimarães, meanwhile, has 48 appearances for his country and is closing in on his 50th cap.
That leaves him with a very different role these days.
“The most important thing is giving confidence to the younger players, to those who are arriving for the first time,” he said.
“My first call-up was in 2020 and a lot has happened in my life since then.”
“I think the most important thing when I arrived here was that all the older players gave me confidence, so I could feel as comfortable as possible and play my best football.”
“Now I’m on a mission to give confidence to the younger players, so they can feel as good as possible.”
Guimarães became a major figure in the Premier League and is now approaching 50 Brazil appearances. Ancelotti’s squad overhaul has pushed him even further towards a senior role.
Helping Brazil through a changing of the guard
Guimarães also appears comfortable with the wider changes taking place around him. Ancelotti has called up nine new players this time, giving him the opportunity to look at options ahead of Brazil’s next cycle.
“I think renewal is always important,” Guimarães explained.
“Obviously, you can’t change everything overnight. There are many great players who have stayed and other great players who are coming in.”
“It’s also important for the manager, at the beginning, to have a wider range of options. He can discover other players, watch them in training and see how they behave day to day.”
That leadership role shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone at Newcastle for example. Guimarães spent years ‘rebuilding’ the Tyneside club and establishing himself as one of their most important players before making the move to Arsenal.
Now he’s starting again at club level, but there’s no need to start again when it comes to responsibility.
