ไทย
English
中國人
Bruno Guimarães has maintained that it was always the plan for him to step up and take the penalty in Brazil's World Cup loss to Norway, pushing back against "conspiracies" surrounding Vinícius Júnior.
Brazil fell 2–1 to Norway in the round of 16 in New Jersey on July 5, with Guimarães squandering a vital penalty early in the first half that proved pivotal in a match where Erling Haaland netted twice.
Initially, Vinícius Jr.—Brazil's standout performer throughout the tournament—picked up the ball after the penalty was awarded, only to hand it to Guimarães, a moment that sparked widespread debate and speculation, with some suggesting the Real Madrid forward avoided a high-pressure situation by giving up the ball.
Bruno Clears Up Penalty Drama
The Arsenal midfielder addressed the miss after being named in Carlo Ancelotti's latest squad during the international break—the first since the World Cup—and was quick to shut down any suggestion there was confusion over who was designated to take the spot kick.
"After an elimination, you start seeing a lot of conspiracies about things that simply don't make sense," he told the media.
"Before the match, we always have our pre-game meeting, and the coach decides who takes the penalty. I was the one chosen. At that point, some players wanted to grab the ball—one takes it, passes it to another, even trying to throw the goalkeeper off. That's exactly what happened, nothing unusual about it.
"Viní wasn't the designated penalty taker. I was the one supposed to take it. I took it, I missed, I could have scored.
"That's football. We're upset about the criticism directed at Viní, but it was my responsibility to take it."
Why Wasn't Vinícius Jr. on Penalties for Brazil?
Vinícius Jr. was undeniably Brazil's most influential player during a disappointing tournament, contributing four goals and one assist across five appearances. Nevertheless, he was not the team's first-choice penalty taker.
Speaking immediately after the defeat to Norway, Vinícius Jr. told reporters that the decision to use Guimarães "was the manager's call." He added, "I never hide or shy away from my responsibilities."
Ancelotti later explained: "We studied a full year of penalty-taking data among our players and opponents. Our best was Neymar, then Igor Thiago, and Raphinha. [Gabriel] Martinelli and Bruno Guimarães were next in line."
Across 19 career penalties in professional football, Vinícius Jr. has converted 13 and missed six. Guimarães, by comparison, is a far less seasoned taker but had scored all three of his previous penalties before facing Norway—two of which came during the prior season with Newcastle.
'I Won't Hide'—Bruno Backs Himself for More Penalties
Guimarães acknowledged that the high-profile miss still stings, but insisted it will not deter him from stepping up again if the opportunity arises.
"It's a terrible feeling," he said. "Missing a penalty is part of the game, but you're never truly prepared for it. Moving forward from what happened—it's obviously a wound, a scar, it's very recent, it still hurts me deeply that it came to this. But that's football.
"May I learn from my mistakes. Often you learn from winning, but usually the real lessons come from defeat, from what went wrong. I'll keep pushing every day, chasing my dreams... if another penalty comes my way, I won't hide—I'll step up again a thousand times over, because wearing this shirt means everything to me, it has always been my greatest dream.
"You can't change the past, but you can shape the future."