Bruno Guimaraes, creator and leader anchoring Brazil with four assists in four | OneFootball

Bruno Guimaraes is Brazil’s midfield fulcrum, with four assists in four, before Norway in the last 16 on Sunday at 22:00. According to L'Équipe, the Newcastle man is providing the balance a searching Seleção needs.

He teed up Vinicius Junior’s equaliser against Morocco in a 1-1 draw, then left Philadelphia annoyed not to add to it in the 3-0 win over Haiti on 19 June, one effort chalked off for a marginal offside and another wasted by Raphinha.

He made amends against Scotland on 25 June, a 3-0 win in which a fine cross found Vinicius to head in before a no-look pass released Matheus Cunha.

Fernando Diniz, who launched him at Audax at 15 and later at Athletico Paranaense, depicts a self-made, relentlessly improving midfielder with a strong mentality and natural leadership, the type who could have excelled in any field.

In the 2-1 round-of-32 win over Japan he urged on team-mates and crowd, then in added time slipped the decisive ball for Gabriel Martinelli, a pattern they had discussed, trusting Guimaraes to thread passes in tight spaces.

He now trails Michael Olise, on five, despite operating deeper alongside an ageing, sometimes stretched Casemiro. Norway’s robust midfield and Lucas Paqueta’s hamstring absence add to his duties, though he says his role depends on the coach, with aims to keep tempo and find runners near the box.

Source: L'Équipe