Bruno Guimarães has insisted it was always the plan for him to take the penalty in Brazil’s World Cup defeat to Norway, dismissing “conspiracies” involving Vinícius Júnior.
Brazil lost 2–1 to Norway at the round of 16 stage in New Jersey on July 5, with Guimarães missing a crucial penalty early in the first half that set the tone for the match in which Erling Haaland scored twice.
Initially, Vinícius Jr.—Brazil’s talisman during the tournament—took the ball after the penalty was awarded, but handed it over to Guimarães, a moment that provoked much debate and speculation, with some even suggesting the Real Madrid star shirked a pressure moment by relinquishing the ball.
Bruno Clears Up Penalty Drama
The Arsenal midfielder reflected on the miss after being called up for Carlo Ancelotti’s latest roster during the international break—the first since the World Cup—and was quick to deny there was any doubt over who was supposed to take the spot kick.
“After an elimination, you end up seeing a lot of conspiracies about things that don’t make any sense,” he told reporters.
“Before the game, we always have our pregame talk, and the coach decides who will take the penalty. I was the guy chosen to take it. Right then, some players wanted to grab the ball. One player takes it, passes it to another, even trying to fool the goalkeeper. And that’s what happened, nothing out of the ordinary.
“Viní wasn’t the designated penalty taker. I was the one who should have taken the penalty. I took the penalty, I missed, I could have scored.
“That’s part of football. We’re sad about the criticism of Viní, but it was my turn to take it.”
Why Wasn’t Vinícius Jr. on Penalties for Brazil?
Vinícius Jr was unquestionably Brazil’s key player during an underwhelming tournament for Brazil, scoring four and assisting one in five games. However, he was not the team’s dedicated penalty taker.
Speaking directly after the defeat to Norway, Vinícius Jr. told reporters that the choice of Guimarães “was the manager’s decision.” He added, “I never hide or shirk my responsibilities.”
Ancelotti later revealed: “We studied a whole year of penalty taking amoung our players and adversaries. Our best one was Neymar, then Igor Thiago, and Raphinha. [Gabriel] Martinelli and Bruno Guimarães were next on the line.”
In 19 total penalties taken in his professional career, Vinícius Jr. has scored 13 and missed six. Guimarães, by contrast, is a far less experienced taker but had scored all three of his penalties taken prior to stepping up against Norway—two of which came in the previous season for Newcastle.
‘I Won’t Hide’—Bruno Backs Himself for More Penalties
Guimarães admitted that the high-profile miss is still raw, but it won’t stop him from stepping up to the spot again if called upon.
“It’s a very bad feeling,” he said. “Missing a penalty is part of football, but you’re never really ready for it to happen. Moving on from what happened, obviously it’s a wound, a scar, it’s very recent, it still hurts me, it still hurts a lot that this happened. But it’s part of football.
“May I learn from my mistakes. Often you learn from victory, but normally we learn from defeat, from what didn’t work out. I will continue my daily struggle, my dreams ... if there’s another penalty and it’s awarded to me, I won’t hide, I’ll take it again a thousand times, because representing this shirt means a lot to me, it’s always been my biggest dream.
“You can’t change the past, but you can change the future.”
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