Bruno Guimaraes: The Journey to Arsenal
Bruno Guimaraes knows all about waiting by the phone.
Six-and-a-half years ago in Curitiba, he barely slept. Athletico Paranaense’s midfield prodigy had dominated the Brasileirão, lifted trophies, and now stood on the brink of the move he believed would change everything: Atletico Madrid.
A £26million deal was being pieced together. He had already cried his way through a farewell, waving to the Furacão supporters after a 1-0 win over Santos, convinced he was off to Spain. Christmas came and went. The January window opened. Still no call.
Atletico stalled. Benfica stepped forward. Then Athletico president Mario Celso Petraglia revealed a new name at the table: Arsenal.
Edu had been tracking him closely, captivated by the way Guimaraes had driven Athletico to four trophies, including the Copa do Brasil and Copa Sudamericana. Arsenal made a direct approach to his camp, but the numbers didn’t stretch far enough. The door opened for Lyon.
Juninho Pernambucano walked through it.
The Brazilian legend, one of Guimaraes’ childhood idols from his days at Vasco da Gama, sold him a vision. Come to Lyon, he told the hungry 22-year-old, and you can become one of the best midfielders in world football. That was enough.
Guimaraes, a die-hard Vasco fan who was still in the stands for a 1-1 draw with Mirassol on July 26 this year, listened. A £17.1m agreement followed. When he signed his long-term deal in France, he did not hide his frustration at Atletico Madrid’s indecision.
"Nobody called me," he said. The club that once led the race had simply faded away. They would come to regret it.
Two years later, the next big step in his career again unfolded far from Europe’s spotlight. His Newcastle medical took place back in Brazil while he was on international duty, a fitting symbol of how far his reputation had grown. This time, Arsenal were again hovering, again interested, but again short.
Having already brought in Martin Odegaard and Albert Sambi Lokonga the previous summer, Arsenal could not get close to Newcastle’s financial power. The Magpies moved aggressively. Guimaraes chose the project that wanted him most.
A few months on, Arsenal felt the consequences. Under the lights at St James’ Park, Guimaraes scored and ran the game in a 2-0 win that effectively shattered Arsenal’s grip on a top-four place with one match to go. That night, he didn’t just beat them. He needled them, out-fought them, imposed himself on them.
He has kept doing it ever since. No Premier League club has seen him win more duels than Arsenal. Seventy-one battles, more than against any other side, and now he joins them.
For Guimaraes, that detail matters. His career has always followed a simple rule: go where you are truly wanted. It comes from the scars of his childhood in Rio de Janeiro, when the game did not open its doors easily.
He loved futsal. Tried his luck at Fluminense. Then Botafogo. Both said no. So his father, Dick, took matters into his own hands. Every weekend, he drove 269 miles from Rio to Osasco to watch his son play for Audax in São Paulo. The miles piled up. So did the lessons.
The deal between father and son was brutally simple. Lose, and Bruno got a ham and cheese sandwich with juice. Win, and he could eat whatever he wanted. Reward and reality, served on the back seat of a taxi.
Those memories are literally on his back now, inked into his skin, part of the story he carries with him. Another part rides on his shirt.
The No.39 that Guimaraes is set to wear at Arsenal is not a random squad number. It was the number of his dad’s Rio taxi – the same cab that ferried him to youth games, the same vehicle that doubled as a dressing room, a canteen and a classroom. That car helped build a midfielder who plays like he’s still fighting for every fare.
At London Colney, the shirt has quietly been changing hands. Academy midfielder Louie Copley, who suffered a serious knee injury in midweek against Real Betis, had been wearing 39 in recent weeks. On the club’s website, he is now listed as No.38. A small administrative tweak, but one that clears the path for a Brazilian who treats numbers as heirlooms, not decoration.
Arsenal have twice watched Guimaraes slip away. First to Lyon, then to Newcastle. Both times, circumstances, budgets and timing got in the way. Mikel Arteta was never likely to let a third chance disappear.
The negotiations dragged. The saga frayed tempers and patience. Yet the direction of travel never really changed. Arsenal had finally decided they wanted him as much as he needed to feel wanted.
Now, at last, the lines converge. The boy who once waited in vain for a call from Madrid, who chose Lyon on the word of a hero and tormented Arsenal in black and white, walks into the Emirates as their £75million midfielder.
Third time, he is theirs. Third time, he is wanted. And this time, the phone call came.
