In an interview with TNT Sports, Guimaraes was asked to name the best soccer player in the world, and he chose to focus on those he has faced personally. “I’ve played against Messi, Cristiano, Neymar,” the Brazilian midfielder said. “I’ll go with Messi.”

In a previous appearance on Charla Podcast, Bruno praised the Argentine forward’s talent. “When he dribbles the ball, it’s like he puts Super Glue on his foot; the ball never leaves his control! Wow!” the Newcastle player explained. “It’s Messi, you can’t stop him, you can’t.”

Guimaraes speaks from experience. He has played alongside Neymar on the Brazil national team for years, including during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. While he has never been teammates with Messi or Ronaldo, he has faced both on the pitch.

Bruno faced Cristiano in a 2022 Premier League match between Newcastle and Manchester United that ended in a 0–0 draw. He has also gone up against Messi on multiple occasions, both at club level (Paris Saint-Germain vs Olympique Lyonnais) and internationally (Argentina vs Brazil).

Guimaraes recalls his first encounter with Messi

During the Charla Podcast appearance, Guimaraes shared what it was like facing Lionel Messi for the first time. “There was a time when we were playing Lyon and PSG. Messi was already at PSG,” the midfielder recalled. “We were about to start the game. The referee gave a minute or so. Man, I saw Messi doing this gesture. I thought, ‘Man, is he talking to me?’ Messi was calling me over, gesturing like that (waving gesture). I went over, shook his hand, and he hugged me.”

Bruno remembered the awe he felt in that moment. “Man, Messi called me over to talk to him! I couldn’t believe he was talking to me,” the Brazilian said. “I swear to God, there’s a video of that moment on the internet. So I went over. He said: ‘How are you?’ I said: ‘All good, and you?’ And then the game started or something like that. I was so excited.”

Finally, Bruno spoke about how he performed in that first matchup against Lionel Messi. “In that game, I managed to mark him well. Yeah, he didn’t score, thank God that didn’t happen,” the midfielder said. However, Paris Saint-Germain still came away with a 2–1 win.

Now after apparently beating out Arsenal, a medical is all that stands in the way of Lyon midfielder Bruno Guimaraes joining Newcastle. Guimaraes is reportedly set to arrive to Newcastle at a $40 million transfer and has spent the last three seasons at Lyon. 2020/21 was his best season to date with 3 goals in 33 matches.

Here is a look at Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle United’s $40 million deep lying Brazilian midfielder and who Newcastle beat out to sign him.

About Bruno Guimaraes

Bruno Guimaraes began his career in Audax of Brazil’s lower leagues in 2015 then moving to Athletico Paranaense in 2017 for three seasons, then a move to Lyon in 2019.

At Lyon things have been steady with 56 games and 3 goals for the club. Guimaraes has been one of the French team’s most consistent players and was a part of Brazil’s gold medal winning squad in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Newcastle is reported to have beaten Juventus and Arsenal for the services of the midfielder.