IF you’re a football lover growing up in Brazil, it does not take long for you to be enveloped in World Cup fever.

Bruno Guimaraes was only four years old when Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side won the most recent of Brazil’s five World Cup titles, but that does not mean he does not remember the joy the success elicited in his South American homeland.

There was Ronaldinho’s looping long-range strike against David Seaman, Ronaldo’s eight goals that made him the tournament’s leading scorer and Brazil’s perfect record of seven wins from seven, at that stage the most matches ever won by a team at a single World Cup.

As Guimaraes fondly recalls, however, there was also a homecoming on a fire truck and a family argument over a haircut. It isn’t always the obvious things that lodge themselves in the World Cup memory bank.

“I remember everything stopped in Brazil and people went out onto the streets to celebrate,” said Guimaraes, who left the Newcastle United squad in the wake of last weekend’s 1-0 win over Chelsea to join up with the rest of the current Brazilian team in Qatar. “The players arrived on top of a big truck – I don’t know how you’d say this in English, but it was a bit like a fire engine.

“The players came along on top of this vehicle and we all went out onto the street to follow it. It was one of the best moments of my life. I remember wanting to cut my hair like Ronaldo, but my mum wouldn’t let me. Everybody in Brazil wanted to do the same, you know? I asked my mother, but she said, ‘No way, no chance’.”

Two decades on, and it is Guimaraes hoping to inspire the next generation of Brazilians with his performances in Qatar.

The 25-year-old has been a revelation since joining Newcastle from Lyon in January, with his performances last term playing a major role in the club’s successful rise away from the relegation zone and his displays in the current campaign helping spearhead the Magpies’ push into a Champions League place.

In England, Guimaraes is now regarded as one of the Premier League’s brightest lights, but while Brazil’s head coach, Tite, travelled to St James’ Park to watch the midfielder at first hand during last month’s thrashing of Aston Villa, the strength of Brazil’s footballing diaspora meant he could not afford to take his World Cup selection for granted. Especially when Brazilian tradition dictates that the squad remains secret until the last possible moment.

The Northern Echo: Bruno Guimaraes celebrates a Newcastle goalBruno Guimaraes celebrates a Newcastle goal

“We didn’t know if I would be in the squad,” said Guimaraes, whose filming of his reaction to the squad being announced on TV sparked a social media storm. “Everyone asks this, but in Brazil, we don’t know, we only find out on the day, watching television like everybody else.

“It was tremendously emotional. I think everyone’s seen the video with all my relatives and family. It’s traditional in Brazil for all the players to watch the squad announcement before the World Cup. I genuinely didn’t know beforehand.”

While there was joy for Guimaraes, there was disappointment for his Newcastle team-mate, Joelinton, who had been touted for a possible call-up despite his lack of previous international experience, but who was ultimately left out of Brazil’s 26-man World Cup group.

“I hoped Joelinton would be in the squad with me,” said Guimaraes, in an interview with Newcastle’s match programme, United. “He’s a great player, playing really well here at Newcastle. He’s a player who has helped me a lot since I arrived. We have a great friendship. I see him as my brother.

“I’m sad for him, but he’s still young and he’ll have other opportunities to play in other World Cups. I don’t think it will affect his career – he knows how to handle it. Of course I’m sad for him, but he can think about the next World Cup and continue doing what he’s been doing as he contributes so much here at Newcastle.”

Guimaraes’ thoughts will now be focused on Qatar, with Brazil heading into the tournament as most bookmakers’ favourites to emerge triumphant.

They have been drawn into a tricky group, with their opening game against an Aleksandar Mitrovic-inspired Serbia preceding matches against proven tournament performers Switzerland and the potentially dangerous Cameroon.

With Manchester United’s Casemiro seemingly nailed on for the holding-midfield role in Brazil’s first-choice side, Guimaraes is likely to find himself battling with his good friend, Lucas Paqueta, for a starting spot. Paqueta has tended to get the nod in recent matches, but Guimaraes feels he has done everything possible to make a compelling case for his inclusion in the team that will line-up against Serbia on Thursday evening.

“I genuinely believe that I deserve it,” said Guimaraes, who has won eight senior caps since making his international debut in November 2020, and who was part of the Brazilian squad at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. “Since I was at Athletico Paranaense, I’ve always had great seasons, always playing an important role. I believe that Newcastle has opened a huge door for me to play in the Premier League and allow me to do what I’m doing here.

“It’s genuinely very difficult to perform in the Premier League and I’ve been playing very well – it’s as if I’ve been here for a long time. With all the humility in the world, I believe that I deserve to be there, and I will do my best for my country.”