Bruno Guimaraes appears set to become Newcastle’s third signing of the month, meaning a third new shirt number will need to be handed out.
The 24-year-old is set to join the Magpies from Lyon, with a £35million fee agreed. It’ll be PIF’s biggest signing so far, and a real statement of intent.
Guimaraes is levels above our current midfield options, and should walk into Eddie Howe’s starting XI. But what number will he wear at St James’ Park?
Kieran Trippier has taken the number 15, while Chris Wood is our new number 20. So what about the Brazilian?
Bruno Guimaraes’ Newcastle shirt number seems obvious
While for Trippier and Wood we speculated what number they could don, Guimaraes’ jersey seems straight forward.
During his time with Athletico Paranaense, he wore the number 39 shirt. He joined Lyon in January 2020, and requested to wear the same number. His wish was granted.
Guimaraes had to get special approval to wear 39 in Ligue 1 due to French regulations, but he won’t have that problem in the Premier League.
The number 39 is vacant at Newcastle United, so it seems incredibly likely that he’ll wear it at St James’ Park.
His shirt probably won’t say ‘Guimaraes’ either. Instead, his tops in the past have had ‘Bruno G’ brandished upon them.
Why number 39 is significant
The number 39 isn’t completely random – it has sentimental value for Guimaraes.
It links back to his father, who was a taxi driver in Brazil. The number of his taxi was 39, and that’s why the 24-year-old dons it on the back of his shirts.
Despite the reason behind the number, it was initially a coincidence that he wore it in Brazil.
His father told him to wear 39 at Athletico as it had always been a lucky number to the family. Incredibly, the club gave Guimaraes that exact number without him asking – a happy coincidence if ever there was one. He’s worn it ever since, and expect that tradition to continue at Newcastle.
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