Six months ago, Bruno Guimaraes arrived on Tyneside with zero English in his vocabulary. Joining a relegation fight, for big bucks, in a foreign country, where you cannot speak the language is a serious test of character.
However, it is undeniable that the midfield maestro passed the challenge with flying colours. His manager, Eddie Howe, is eulogised by supporters for his relentless work rate on the training ground. But what has been more remarkable is Guimaraes’ efforts to learn English in such a short space of time.
The Brazilian has regularly updated supporters with his progress on social media. Last week, he announced on Twitter that his skills had reached “upper intermediate “ level, meaning he can understand most speeches, complex arguments and TV shows.
Toon supporters love a grafter - and Guimaraes has shown to be exactly that on and off the pitch. Since January, the £35million man has transformed the Magpies’ midfield..
Howe initially staved off calls from supporters to throw Guimaraes immediately into the side. Allowing him to adapt to the rigours of English football - and the language - paid dividends, with several man-of-the-match displays endearing the 24-year-old to the St James’ Park faithful.
A remarkable stat is how Guimaraes has already scored more goals for Newcastle than he did for former club Lyon - in 54 fewer appearances. Howe has given the Brazilian licence to get forward when most believed he was simply a deep-lying midfielder.
Arguably his best performance to date came in the 2-1 victory against Leicester City on Easter Sunday. After falling a goal behind, Guimaraes bagged a brace - which included a 94th-minute winner - to give the Geordies a Bank Holiday weekend to remember.
Post-match, the midfielder bravely fronted up to the cameras to conduct his interview in English - less than three months after arriving on these shores. Guimaraes’ determination to learn the language as quickly as possible is commendable - and showcases his desire to become a success on Tyneside.
Now, speaking to NUFC TV, the Brazil international has paid tribute to teammate and compatriot Joelinton for helping him settle into life in the North East. Guimaraes admitted the Geordie accent has also been a challenge since arriving in January.
"I'm better than before - I'm improving!" Guimaraes said. "In this season, I'm trying to speak more with my teammates. I'm afraid of the correction or if I make a mistake, but I try with them. I think I'm improving.
"Joelinton is helping me a lot. My teacher, too. I am doing a class almost every day. I'm improving but the problem is the language is so difficult. English is different to Portuguese. But I think I can get it.
"I have a book, a Brazilian English book, so I understand a lot of things and it helps me a lot, it helps me. The accent – that is more difficult!
"I'm improving with the boys and I can understand almost everything. This book is slowly helping me a lot. But it is only another step. My goal is to be fluent in the language."
The 24-year-old acknowledged how he is already finding it easier to understand Howe’s instructions. The prospect of the Guimaraes being fluent in English should translate to even silkier performances on the pitch.
When asked whether his improved English has helped on the training ground, he said: "Yes, it has, exactly. When they are speaking, they try to speak slowly and this helps me a lot.
"When I arrived here, Glenn (Patterson, player liaison officer) sent me a paper with words about football for me to try at home. This helped me, and it is fine now."
"I speak perfect French now, I speak a little Spanish, a little English now, and Portuguese. It's nice. I always wanted to learn English because it's so important - but it's difficult. Step by step, I will get it.”
