What is the magic of number 39?

Black-and-white scarf around his neck, captain's armband on his arm. Eyes full of tears. Brazilian flags waving in the stands. Emotions ran high yesterday at Wembley—Bruno Guimaraes couldn’t hold them back. Everything came rushing back.

Memories of childhood. A difficult one. The kind many Brazilian footballers have. But it was worth it. He is where he is today thanks to a yellow taxi with the license plate 039, driven by his father. His father put him through school, gave him a home, raised him, drove him everywhere, and made him the man he is today.

His mother worked in a motorcycle shop, while his father roamed the streets of Rio de Janeiro in that yellow taxi with the plate number 039. That’s why Bruno wears the number 39 on his back.

"I know people think it's a strange number for a footballer. But for me, 39 is special—no, more than that. It’s magical. Number 39 gave me everything in life. It brought me here to Newcastle. It fed me, clothed me, and paid for the three-hour bus rides so I could chase my dream," Bruno Guimaraes once told The Players' Tribune.

His father pushed him forward but also held him back. He saw him as a hero and didn’t want to disappoint him, which created pressure. Before matches his father attended, Bruno would get stomach pains, vomit, struggle to sleep due to headaches, and even develop a fever out of fear of making mistakes. His heart raced. In short, he had a psychological block. He wasn’t the same lively kid from the streets.

When his father wasn’t watching, he played completely differently. That’s where Mario Jorge played a crucial role. One day, he was standing behind the bar, observing him.

"Bruno, let me ask you something: why don’t you ever play like this during matches?" Mario Jorge asked.

"I don’t know, coach. I don’t feel comfortable. It’s complicated," Bruno Guimaraes replied.

Then, he received a piece of advice worth gold…

"Listen, don’t worry. Just have fun and see what happens."

He took the advice and told his father what was troubling him. He asked him not to put too much pressure on him because it was making him anxious. From that moment, everything changed. He overcame his struggles, and his parents visited him on weekends. That yellow taxi 039 frequently made trips to Sao Paulo. Time passed, Bruno turned 17, but he still didn’t have a professional contract. Things started looking up when Fernando Diniz entered his life.

Diniz found a way to connect with Guimaraes.

"Bruno, whatever you choose to do in life, you’ll be one of the best. You’re great because you’re focused. You have the soul of a great player."

He brought him into the first team, and then Bruno moved to Athletico Paranaense, where something incredible happened. When he arrived, he considered taking the number 97, his birth year, but his father stopped him. He reminded him of the yellow taxi and everything they had been through.

"What about 39? It’s more than just a number. It gave us everything we have, Bruno. Our house, food, furniture, boots. We have all of this because of that yellow taxi."

Bruno picked up his medical records and decided to ask if he could wear the number 39 jersey—if it was available. He entered the locker room, and it was already waiting for him. The kit manager insisted that he hadn’t spoken to anyone about it. Bruno checked with his agent and father—the same answer. A miracle! He broke down in tears; it was a sign.

There is magic in the number 39.