Bruno Guimaraes and the art of winning (100) free kicks

Mohamed Salah is five goals clear of Alexander Isak in the race for the Golden Boot and leads Newcastle United’s Jacob Murphy by seven in the assist charts.

While Salah looks a shoo-in for both accolades, there is a Newcastle player who dominates the Egyptian at one (admittedly niche) skill.

When Bruno Guimaraes received a throw-in from Kieran Trippier and was tripped by Simon Adingra in the 65th minute of Newcastle’s 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday (below), it appeared an instantly forgettable moment.

Yet that passage brought up a milestone no other player will reach this season: it was the 100th foul ‘won’ by Guimaraes across the Premier League in 2024-25.

For the second successive campaign, the Newcastle midfielder has reached a century — across 2023-24 he was fouled 108 times, which he may yet surpass given there are three fixtures remaining — making him the first player to do so in consecutive seasons since Jack Grealish in 2019-20 (167 fouls) and 2020-21 (110).

Guimaraes’ nearest competitor across 2024-25? That is Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha (69 fouls), who has little to no hope of closing a 31-foul chasm.

Admittedly, for fouls won per 90 minutes, Guimaraes drops to second (3.0 per 90) behind Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison (3.2) for players who have played at least 900 minutes. But Guimaraes has played 3,013 minutes to Maddison’s 1,816 — ranking 10th for most minutes played by an outfielder — and, despite repeatedly being upended, he has somehow avoided injury, starting all 35 of Newcastle’s top-flight fixtures and, on average, winning a free kick every 30.1 minutes.

This is hardly a fresh accomplishment for Guimaraes. Finding ways to draw fouls has long been a forte of the Brazilian, who has followed the tradition set by Alan Shearer of being a Newcastle captain who is brilliant at winning free kicks at opportune moments.

Since his Premier League debut in February 2022, Guimaraes has won 327 fouls, 80 more than anyone else (with Maddison and Jordan Ayew joint-second on 247). Across 121 appearances (115 starts) and 10,047 minutes, he has been fouled once every 30.7 minutes — almost identical to this season’s average.

Again, per 90, he drops to sixth for those who have played 900-plus minutes, with 2.9 fouls won. Yet he has played at least 2,500 minutes more than anyone else in the top 10 and more than double that of the leader, Grealish (3.3 fouls from 4,449 minutes).

According to FBref.com figures, Guimaraes’ propensity for drawing fouls stretches throughout his career. At Lyon, he averaged 3.2 fouls won per 90 in his final season and before that, at Athletico Paranaense in his native Brazil, he averaged 3.2 in 61 games.

The high number of fouls won was not something Newcastle’s recruitment department specifically identified when looking at Guimaraes during the height of their relegation battle in January 2022. Rather, that was a byproduct of the qualities Eddie Howe was seeking: the ability to receive and play under pressure.

Howe wanted a midfielder who could hold possession, even when surrounded by opponents, and play positive passes forward, or ensure they did not lose the ball easily. Guimaraes’ bravery and his technical excellence were recognised by senior recruitment staff — and the Brazilian almost immediately had a positive effect on Newcastle’s build-up play by winning fouls under pressure or playing passes through the lines.

“I wouldn’t say it (drawing fouls) is an asset I naturally look at from a centre-midfielder,” Howe said in November, after Guimaraes was fouled seven times against Arsenal, a joint-high figure in the Premier League this season (which he also achieved against Bournemouth in January). “But it’s associated with his game.”

For Newcastle’s scouts, Guimaraes’ fluidity, agility and hip movement made him ideal. Howe was primarily concerned with having a deep-lying ‘No 6’ who was comfortable having the ball in any situation, no matter how pressurised, and that is why Guimaraes and now Sandro Tonali have thrived there.

With Guimaraes, winning fouls is an added benefit brought about by how accomplished he is with the ball at his feet.

“Bruno is a unique player in that sense, he almost draws the physical contact on,” Howe told The Athletic this month. “He’s very comfortable receiving the ball under pressure, which is a great thing as a midfielder.

“I’m always telling the midfielders, ‘You must always want the ball in every moment, every situation, no matter how tightly marked you are. You’ve got to be able and prepared to receive the ball to help your team-mate’.”

Guimaraes relishes responsibility and, even before he was handed the captaincy in August, he attempted to take charge of difficult on-field situations, demanding possession in testing moments and showing courage.

His importance to Newcastle’s build-up play also means he is targeted by opponents, who often flood the midfield and attempt to prevent him from orchestrating attacks.

Within 17 minutes of the opening game against Southampton in August, Guimaraes had won his first foul of the season. Another five followed in that 1-0 win, the majority of which Newcastle played with only 10 men.

Dan Burn hooked possession forward, Guimaraes anticipated Flynn Downes’ presence behind him, flicked the ball upwards and drew contact.

Guimaraes’ mastery of winning free kicks is so widespread that he is not confined to winning his fouls in one area of the pitch.

As the graphic below shows, he claims free kicks across the field, even if marginally more are won in his own half, and slightly more are clustered around the centre circle.

Though Guimaraes has been fouled four times inside his defensive box, he has not gained his side a penalty. Only 11 of the fouls on him have come in the attacking third.

The time range across which the 27-year-old is fouled is also varied.

A majority (61 per cent) take place during the second half, with the highest ratio between the 46th and 60th minutes (20 per cent) and the lowest during the opening quarter of an hour (nine per cent).

Significantly, 27 per cent of the fouls have been from the 76th minute onwards, with six coming in stoppage time, highlighting how adept Guimaraes is at winning free kicks at critical late moments

Although it was in the Carabao Cup final, so it does not count towards those figures, Guimaraes exhibited that skill expertly at Wembley against Liverpool. With Newcastle leading 2-1 and trying to see out time, in the 95th minute, he carried possession and then almost invited Cody Gakpo to foul him.

Of the fouls on Guimaraes in the league, there is an equal split between home and away, though Newcastle have played one fewer match at St James’ Park. On Tyneside, he averages 2.9 fouls per 90, compared to 2.8 away.

The only league match in which he has not been fouled was the 3-0 victory at Leicester City last month. During his other 34 appearances, he has been fouled at least once, up to a maximum of seven times (twice).

“With the style he has, he’s fouled a lot,” Howe said. “The numbers don’t surprise me. It’s something I’ve been aware of for a while. It’s a challenge for Bruno because referees will be aware of those stats as well. The majority of those, for me, have been fouls.”

Guimaraes possesses an acute awareness of what is around him. An example of ‘classic Guimaraes’ came against Arsenal in November, when he received a pass inside from Anthony Gordon.

Having made sure the ball was to his right, with Thomas Partey advancing from his left, Guimaraes felt a touch and went down.

While Guimaraes perhaps does not read danger quite as well as Tonali, the Brazilian still possesses an impressive ability to thwart dangerous counter-attacks.

Below, against Tottenham Hotspur in September, Tino Livramento’s poorly directed throw drew the attention of three opponents.

But Guimaraes, having recognised he was unlikely to get the ball, ensured he was caught, meaning Newcastle had a free kick on halfway, rather than three players running at their defence.

Another example came at Bournemouth in August. The Brazilian received the ball inside the Newcastle box, facing his own goal, from a defensive corner.

He advanced, then stopped and waited for Justin Kluivert to run into his back, drawing a foul.

Turning a seemingly troublesome situation to his advantage is another strength.

Against West Ham United in March, five opposition players surrounded Guimaraes.

It appeared certain he would be robbed of possession, so Guimaraes cleverly stepped across two players and won a foul, handing Newcastle a free kick, rather than allowing the home side to flood forward.

Interestingly, Guimaraes’ foul count has dropped since he was shifted slightly further forward to a ‘No 8’, accommodating Tonali as a deep-lying midfielder. Until the end of November, Guimaraes was averaging 3.9 fouls per 90. That has dropped to 2.4 since, a consequence of receiving possession in more advanced positions, rather than when facing towards his own goal as a No 6. Tonali and Guimaraes still interchange, but the Italian has assumed some of that responsibility.

“Bruno’s been such an important player,” Howe said. “A lot of what he does, people miss.”

Guimaraes will not receive an individual trophy for most fouls won, but for that niche accolade, he is truly peerless in the Premier League.

(Top photo: Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images)

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