Newcastle United defender Matt Targett has revealed that teammate Bruno Guimarães has billboards of his face across Riyadh as the Magpies prepare for their friendly against reigning Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal on Thursday.
Guimarães has been one of many standout players under Eddie Howe this season after his five goal involvements in 12 top-flight appearances and it's clear the club believe his face can bring new fans of the club in the region to watch the match.
The Brazilian international has been in neighbouring country Qatar with the Brazil squad who have reached the quarter finals stage after a 4-0 win over South Korea and will face Croatia for a place in the semi finals.
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With billboards featuring Guimarães across Saudi Arabia's capital city, Targett pointed out it wasn't just the Brazilian star who stole the limelight from the rest of the squad.
The team bus in which both players and staff have been travelling has been plastered with the faces of numerous players, including Allan Saint Maximin, Joelinton, Miguel Almiron and even captain Jamaal Lascelles.
"To be fair, it took me a day to notice," Targett said when speaking to nufc.co.uk. "When we got out of the airport, I didn't actually see it - we just walked on the closest bus because we were all shattered from the travelling.
"But it's incredible when you're driving to training and you see the big boards of Bruno [Guimaraes] and the game that's getting promoted on Thursday. It is massive, and it is nice to see."
The trip to Riyadh proves that Newcastle really are starting to become a global club. After the influx of cash and the widely-covered takeover from Saudi Arabian consortium PIF, there has been a dramatic shift in the club's operations, including increased player spending, player performance, fan involvement and foreign fans arriving at St James' Park.
While they're not quite on the same levels as global giants like Manchester United or Real Madrid, it's evident that the Magpies are taken the necessary steps to reach that level - much faster than they were under their previous ownership.
"It's nice because it shows just how big the club's growing, how well we're doing as a club," Targett highlighted. "I think that's credit to everyone that's working here. That's the reward you get; the bigger the club gets, the more well-known it becomes around the world."
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