Bruno Guimaraes explains ‘private joke’ involving Newcastle United and rivals Sunderland

There hasn’t been a Tyne and Wear derby for six-and-half years but Bruno Guimaraes is fully aware of the bitter rivalry between Newcastle United and Sunderland.

Guimaraes amused fans in September when he played as the Magpies on FIFA 23 and recorded himself beating the Black Cats 3-0, where the Brazilian’s own virtual player scored the third at St James’ Park.

Poking fun at Sunderland went down a treat on Tyneside but less so on Wearside, as the clip made its way around social media. Indeed, the 25-year-old admitted in a recent interview he hadn’t quite planned for it to blow up in the way it did.

“Oh my gosh! It was cool,” Guimaraes told Newcastle’s matchday programme. “I was playing FIFA, and I wanted to have a laugh with the fans. I think that’s the great thing about football. If it was a Sunderland player doing the same, we have to accept it, otherwise, football would be really boring.

“We have to have this humour between fans and poking fun at each other – obviously with respect. I didn’t mean to put anyone from Sunderland down – it was just a bit of a joke with Newcastle fans, not to disrespect Sunderland. It was, like, a private joke with Newcastle fans.”

Time will tell if Guimaraes is able to play in a real Tyne-Wear derby in the near future, with Sunderland, managed by Tony Mowbray, currently sitting 15th in the Championship table, four points off the play-offs.