Bruno Guimaraes Reveals World Cup Penalty Miss Still Hurts

Bruno Guimaraes says he is still coming to terms with the missed penalty that played a part in Brazil's World Cup exit, speaking from the national team's training camp in Australia as the Selecao begin a new chapter under Carlo Ancelotti.

The Arsenal midfielder was at the centre of Brazil's heartbreak when he missed his spot kick in their Round of 16 defeat to Norway, a 2-1 loss that ended the five time champions' campaign early. With Brazil now in Queensland preparing for friendlies against Australia, Guimaraes opened up about how much that night has stayed with him.

"It was a terrible feeling. You're never truly prepared for something like that to happen. It's a scar, and it's still very fresh, but it heals with time. It happened, and it's part of the game," he told reporters.

Rather than let the moment define him, Guimaraes says he wants to use it to grow, and insists he wouldn't hesitate to step up and take another penalty if the situation came around again.

"I want to learn from my mistakes. We always focus on winning, but usually it's defeat, the things that didn't go right, that teach us the most. That's where I can grow. If there were another penalty tomorrow, I wouldn't hesitate. I'd step up to take it a thousand times over if I had to. I stay committed, but it was a dark moment, and I suffered a lot," he said.

With Brazil's squad going through a period of renewal, Guimaraes has also taken on more of a senior role, helping bring young players like Estevao and Gabriel Bontempo into the fold. He said he remembers how important it was to feel welcomed when he first got his own call up back in 2020.

"I think the most important thing is to pass confidence to the younger players, to those arriving for the first time. My first call-up was in 2020 and since then a lot has happened in my life until now. When I arrived, all the older players gave me confidence so that I could feel as comfortable and at home as possible, to perform my best football. I think I'm on that mission now," he said.

He added that the senior players left over from the last World Cup cycle now carry more responsibility within the squad. "The ones who stayed from the last World Cup, me, Gabriel [Magalhaes], Vini Jr, Raphinha, Douglas [Santos], Marquinhos, we have a different role, a leadership role, obviously. If you take the new players there, there are players who are 18, 19, 20 years old. I'm 28 and I'm feeling old next to these guys," he said.

Even with respect for their opponents, Brazil are treating the upcoming friendlies mainly as a chance to work on themselves as they begin life under Ancelotti.

"We are here thinking a little bit more in these friendlies about us, but of course we respect the Socceroos and hope we have a great game. Things haven't been great recently, but from my perspective, the only way to turn the situation around is by playing well and winning games. We know that the fans are very hurt after everything that happened. We will only be able to do this by playing well, with good performances, winning games," Guimaraes said.