Bruno Guimaraes has already made Newcastle United St James' Park makeover request - now it's set to happen
Bruno Guimaraes is the first Newcastle United captain to lift a major trophy at Wembley Stadium since 1955 - and he did it in his first season with the armband.
At the start of the 2024-25 campaign, Guimaraes was named Newcastle’s captain for the first time. The Brazilian’s influence on the pitch for Newcastle under Eddie Howe paired with a long-term ACL injury to Jamaal Lascelles, saw the midfielder handed the armband.
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Guimaraes has never been shy to voice his ambitions at Newcastle. In his very first press conference after arriving from Lyon in 2022 he spoke about playing in the Champions League and winning trophies at Newcastle.
It was quite jarring to hear, given the club were sitting in the Premier League relegation zone at the time. But Guimaraes’ belief in the Newcastle project has quickly progressed into reality. In his first full season with The Magpies, the club qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
And in his first season as captain, he led Newcastle to a first domestic trophy in 70 years with a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on March 16.
Bruno Guimaraes wants St James’ Park makeover after making Newcastle United claim
Guimaraes’ very first captain’s column in the Newcastle United official matchday programme reaffirmed his ambitions as he spoke about becoming a club legend.
He discussed Newcastle’s reception as you walk in through the player’s entrance at St James’ Park which includes tributes to the likes of Jackie Milburn, Bobby Robson and Kevin Keegan as well as drawings showing Bob Moncur and Joe Harvey with the 1969 Fairs Cup and 1951 FA Cup, respectively.
Following Newcastle’s 2025 Carabao Cup win, another addition will be needed in the player’s entrance showing Guimaraes and his teammates with the trophy.
Ahead of the season opener against Southampton at St James’ Park, Guimaraes wrote: “I want my photo to be in the reception like Sir Bobby Robson, Kevin Keegan, Jackie Milburn.
"I want to be a legend like them - but to truly achieve that, we need to lift a trophy."
Now that’s done, there’s only one thing for the club to do - get the decorators in!
Bruno Guimaraes reacts to Carabao Cup win v Liverpool
Following the Carabao Cup win, Guimaraes told Sky Sports: “It's all for these fans. “They deserve everything. When I first came here I said I wanted to put my name in history.
"We can now say we are the champions again. This is one of the best days of my life.
“I don't have any words. For them [the fans] it's like the World Cup. People have grown up, people have died and not seen us as champions. My first year as captain of this club and it's one of the best days. This is unbelievable.”
Eddie Howe refutes NUFC ‘legend’ suggestion
Although the likes of Guimaraes and Eddie Howe will be seen as Newcastle legends in the eyes of many supporters for ending the club’s lengthy trophy drought, The Magpies head coach believes that legacy still needs to be cemented.
“No, don't put ourselves in that [legend] bracket,” Howe told The Gazette. “I think we'll let other people decide that when we're probably long gone from the football club but I think our job is to give our best every day and that will never change.
He added: “I do think we've got some iconic players who will go down as legends of the football club in the future, but they've still got to sort of cement that legacy. We've got a really talented group of players.
“But we've also got some really great stories in there too. Players that have fought against the odds to end up in this position and continue to excel and do well.”