After the sleepless nights, the glory nights. Bruno Guimaraes shed tears before joining Arsenal, severing a bond with a club where he made history. Yet he did so for occasions like Wednesday’s draw with Bayern Munich. The man who made history as the first Newcastle captain for seven decades to lift a major domestic trophy found himself at the centre of historical comparisons at the Allianz Arena. Manuel Neuer’s magnificent save to keep out Guimaraes’ header had shades of Gordon Banks and Pele. “True, true,” the midfielder said; if every Brazilian wants to be bracketed with Pele, perhaps that is not their ideal way.
In any case, Guimaraes is spoken of more in the same sentence as Declan Rice. Theirs has become a hate-love relationship. The competitive Brazilian could be a bête noire for Arsenal in his days in black and white. Now they find much to like about him as Rice has gone from rival to sidekick. “We were playing against each other: I was not nice to him, he was not nice to me,” Guimaraes recalled. “But now we are nice to each other. He is an unbelievable player and an unbelievable guy. He has been trying to help me a lot since my first day at the club.”
