Bruno Guimaraes dedicates Newcastle shirt number to his taxi driver dad in nod to humble Brazilian origins

NEWCASTLE fans may have raised an eyebrow when discovering their record signing Bruno Guimaraes will wear the innocuous No39 for the club.

But there's a very good reason why the £43million midfielder runs out with the less than glamorous number on the back of his shirt.

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The Brazilian wore No39 at his former club Lyon, and will do the same at Newcastle in tribute to his taxi-driver father.

His dad, Dick, is a cab driver in Rio de Janeiro, and his car number is 39.

So midfield playmaker Guimaraes sports the same number as his father's taxi in a tip of the cap to the man who raised him.

The 23-year-old re-watches all of his games with his father and mother, Marcia, according to .

And while his dad drives taxis, his mother is also in the transport business, but of the two-wheeled variety, with Marcia a bicycle saleswoman.

His shirt number is a nod to the humble begins in Brazil that helped him to become a footballer, something which he does not take for granted.

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On her son, Guimaraes' mum said: "He goes to bed early, doesn’t go out and has never drunk a drop of alcohol."

Guimaraes first left his parents for Europe in January 2020, signing for French club Lyon from Athletico Paranaense.

He becomes Newcastle's third signing of the transfer window, following the acquisitions of Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood.

But there could still be a flurry of activity on Tyneside on deadline day.

The Magpies have agreed a £13m fee with Brighton for centre-back Dan Burn, which is set to be confirmed on Sunday.

Aston Villa left-back Matt Targett has also emerged as a last-minute target, with West Ham's Issa Diop on Eddie Howe's radar too.

But the signing of Guimaraes is Newcastle's biggest statement of the window.

And if more follow in his footsteps tomorrow, Newcastle could boast a very different line up at the end of January to the one they started the month with.

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