'At my club' - Bruno Guimaraes makes Newcastle United claim to Brazil media ahead of World Cup opener
Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes is relishing his leadership role in the Brazil national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Bruno Guimaraes has labelled Brazil as one of the ‘favourites’ to win the 2026 World Cup as the Newcastle United star looks to play a key role for his country.
The midfielder is currently away with the Brazil national team and recent scored in a 2-1 World Cup warm-up win over Egypt. Brazil’s tournament officialy gets underway against Morocco on Saturday (11pm kick-off).
They then face Haiti on June 20 and Scotland on June 24 in the group stage.
It will be Guimaraes’ second World Cup with Brazil after the five-time winners reached the quarter-finals in Qatar back in 2022 only to be knocked out on penalties by Croatia.
The Newcastle captain was still a relative newcomer to the national set-up back then but will arrive at the 2026 tournament as a key player in Carlo Ancelotti’s side with 42 caps to his name.
And Guimaraes has credited the former Real Madrid manager as a key reason behind his prominent role in the Brazil squad.
NUFC version of Bruno Guimaraes at the World Cup
“He [Ancelotti] was the person who gave me the most confidence to play here,” Guimaraes told the media. “In my first call-ups, he asked where I wanted to play and where I felt most comfortable.”
The 28-year-old referenced his prominent role as Newcastle’s captain as he heads into the tournament on the back of his best goalscoring season at club level. Guimaraes ended the 2025/26 Premier League campaign as Newcastle’s top scorer with nine goals despite being out injured for two months.
“[Ancelotti] gave me that freedom and confidence to play the football I play at my club,” Guimaraes added. “He took all the weight off me.
“Today I can be the Bruno that I am at my club here. I feel very good with the manager’s confidence. He made me one of the leaders of the group, which was very important for me.”
Are Brazil among the favourites?
Guimaraes is no stranger to criticism while on international duty having formed part of a Brazil side dubbed one of the worst ever as they picked up just seven points from their opening six World Cup qualifying matches prior to Ancelotti’s arrival.
While they were still able to secure qualification comfortably in the end, Brazil finished fifth in the CONMEBOL qualifying standings. Prior to that, their lowest ever finish in the current qualification format was third for the 2002 World Cup, which just so happened to be the last time they won the tournament.
And that victory, which sees Brazil remain the only country to have won the World Cup on five separate occasions, is why Guimaraes sees his nation as one of the favourites.
“No one [else] has five stars on their chest,” he said.
“Brazil is one of the favourites in any competition it enters. We know that doesn’t step onto the field, but we’re here to play our football.
“We have great players shining at the world’s biggest clubs, like Vini, Raphinha… We deserve the proper respect for our National Team. In England, everyone I talk to respects Brazil a lot.”
“Brazil will always be one of the favourites. That doesn’t mean the favourite will win, but we’re in the mix to deliver our best football and, if everything goes right, to be champions.”