Bruno: "Today, I feel like a winner"

It is quite the conversational tangent but after a strange turn somewhere along the line, Bruno Guimarães is talking about the time he played Call of Duty with Ronaldo; the original one, the Brazilian World Cup winner, O Fenômeno. "We did a live stream together on Twitch. We did this for 433 on Instagram and me, (Lucas) Paquetá and Ronaldo were on the same team. Unfortunately we didn't win the trophy, but we played together.

"I'm in my house, Ronaldo is in his house and Paquetá is in his house. We joined a call and played together. It was streamed – Ronaldo is a streamer now."

The world has certainly changed in the 20 years since Ronaldo's double against Germany won the World Cup for Brazil in Yokohama. Guimarães was four years old then and streamers were just pieces of material that shot out of party poppers.

But time waits for no phenomenon and now, two decades on, it is the Newcastle United midfielder who will help carry his nation's hopes of winning a sixth World Cup. On Monday Guimarães was named in the Brazil squad for the finals in Qatar; it will be his first major tournament. At his home on Tyneside – alongside his parents, his partner Ana and newborn son Matteo, his physiotherapist, his agent and his wife, his mother-in-law and Ana’s cousin – he waited for Seleção coach Tite's announcement, filming the moment they all learned of his inclusion. It was a joyous scene and one he insists was authentic and unplanned.

"We didn't know if I would be in the squad. Everyone asks this but in Brazil we don't know, we only find out on the day, watching television like everybody else," he says in Portuguese. "It was tremendously emotional. I think everyone's seen the video with all my relatives and family. It's traditional in Brazil for all the players to watch the squad announcement before the World Cup. I genuinely didn't know beforehand."

Guimarães and close friend Paquetá, now of West Ham, celebrate the Newcastle midfielder's first international goal against Bolivia in March

The group went to celebrate at Rio Brazilian Steakhouse in Jesmond – "my second home!" adds Guimarães in English, a language in which the 24-year-old is now comfortable. He still likes to lean on a translator to make himself understood in longer interviews like this, though, and that helps him recount some early memories from that 2002 tournament with clarity. Most of Luiz Felipe Scolari's first 11 get a mention, as does Ronaldinho's looping free kick over David Seaman in the quarter-finals. "That game was special for me – I watched it with my father. I don't remember the final very well, but I remember the goals."

Guimarães' gaming partner's brace earned Brazil their record fifth title and in a country where football is more religion than recreation, the euphoria made an impact on the young child. "I remember everything stopped in Brazil and people went out onto the streets to celebrate. The players arrived on top of a big truck – I don't know how you'd say this in English, but it was a bit like a fire engine. The players came along on top of this vehicle and we all went out onto the street to follow it. It was one of the best moments of my life. I remember wanting to cut my hair like Ronaldo," he says, a nod to the famous 'wedge' he sported at that tournament 20 years ago. "But my mum wouldn't let me. Everybody in Brazil wanted to do the same, you know? I asked my mother but she said, 'no way, no chance."

He falls back laughing, that high-pitched chuckle United supporters have become accustomed to. Is he considering bringing back the 'wedge' in Qatar? "No, no! It's not a good look!" he replies. "I was young and wanted it, I don't want it anymore!"

The former Lyon schemer has been outstanding this season. He has been, really, ever since he joined the club in January. He credits Newcastle with giving him the platform on which he could build his case to be taken to this winter's World Cup and while he believes he is "not selfish", there is no shortage of conviction in his manner.

"I genuinely believe that I deserve it," he says. "Since I was at Athletico Paranaense I've always had great seasons, always playing an important role. I believe that Newcastle has opened a huge door for me to play in the Premier League and allow me to do what I'm doing here.

"It's genuinely very difficult to perform in the Premier League and I've been playing very well – it's as if I've been here for a long time. With all the humility in the world, I believe that I deserve to be there, and I will do my best for my country."

"I believe that Newcastle has opened a huge door for me to play in the Premier League and allow me to do what I'm doing here."

There is a touch of sadness, though, that Guimarães will not be joined by a close friend. "I hoped Joelinton would be in the squad with me," laments the Magpies' number 39. "He's a great player, playing really well here at Newcastle. He's a player who has helped me a lot since I arrived. We have a great friendship. I see him as my brother.

"I'm sad for him, but he's still young and he'll have other opportunities to play in other World Cups. I don't think it will affect his career – he knows how to handle it. Of course I'm sad for him, but he can think about the next World Cup and continue doing what he's been doing as he contributes so much here at Newcastle."

It has been a deeply emotional week for the midfielder; he is a patently emotional man. He nods at that suggestion. "I'm very affectionate towards others, I put a lot of importance in achieving things, I value a lot of little things that are very important to me," he says. "The last couple of weeks have honestly been highly emotional with dreams coming true. I'm really grateful for everything, I'm grateful to Newcastle as it is here I'm living my dreams. Today, I feel like a winner - someone who is fulfilling all their dreams thanks to Newcastle."

There was a third goal of the campaign six days ago in the 4-1 win at Southampton, a strike he later dedicated to his three-week-old Matteo. Guimarães' body is peppered with inkings and another tattoo is planned; a tribute to his son on his chest, close to his heart. Fatherhood has, predictably, been a whirlwind.

"He's a good boy, doesn't cry too much. A really good boy," he smiles. "I remember the first days, Matteo would cry and I'd panic – 'oh no, what do I need to do? I don't know!' Both me and Ana would panic. But we have my mother and Ana's mother, who are special in these moments, to calm us down as in the beginning it's very difficult.

"I'm already sensing how much I'll miss him at the World Cup. I'm trying to make the most of these moments. The time I've spent with him has been wonderful. I want to make the most of every moment with my son."

Sleep has been precious and Guimarães – who is grateful for the support of Matteo's two grandmothers – has been spending his nights in another room to try and make sure that he is adequately rested for the physical demands of orchestrating a team in the Premier League's top three. In April, he told UNITED that 'if you don't have ambition, you have nothing'. Newcastle were 15th then. They are third now. Is that ambition?

"I still think the same. It will always be my focus in life," he nods. "You have nothing if you don't have ambition. I arrived here full of ambition, well aware that at the time the team were fighting against the drop, fighting to remain in the Premier League. This didn't affect my plans to come here at all. I came here with the mindset of helping the team, my teammates and the manager and to become an important part of the project. That's what I'm trying to do.

"I'm a very ambitious person. We're building a new project, of course, and we have to take things step-by-step, but I believe that we're doing this very well."

Firing home United's fourth in last Sunday's emphatic victory at Southampton

Part of what has made him so integral to Eddie Howe's team is the way his presence seems to elevate those around him. He is the most vital of all the cogs making the Magpies greater than the sum of their parts. Two goals in the thrashing of Brentford and an assist, for Miguel Almirón's winner against Everton, earned him a nomination for the division's player of the month award but on Twitter he took the unusual step of urging supporters to back his teammate in the public vote.

"Like I told you before, I'm not selfish – I think Miggy really deserves it," he explains. "I think it's the third time I've been in the running for player of the month. I think this time Miggy deserves it more than anyone else. I'm just this type of player – if I think Miggy deserves it more, why not vote for him? He's doing well and living his dreams. I'm very happy for him as he's so professional, always the first to arrive on the training ground. He really deserves it."

He becomes animated as he speaks about Almirón, his arms stretched out in front of him as if he is conducting his own words. "We know what works with Miggy – he's a player that needs a lot of confidence and when the crowd is behind him, he can become an amazing player as he has everything. His quality is unbelievable, he's one of the best players I've ever played with. We need to believe in him. He's doing very well and he deserves it more than the other players."

It has been a cheery chat. One last thing, and it's another on the gaming theme: in September, you posted a video of yourself playing as Newcastle on FIFA 23, having beaten Sunderland 3-0, with you scoring the third. What was all that about?

"Oh my gosh!" he begins in English, before reverting to Portuguese. "It was cool. I was playing FIFA, and I wanted to have a laugh with the fans. I think that's the great thing about football. If it was a Sunderland player doing the same, we have to accept it. Otherwise, football would be really boring. We have to have this humour between fans and poking fun at each other – obviously with respect.

"I didn't mean to put anyone from Sunderland down – it was just a bit of a joke with Newcastle fans, not to disrespect Sunderland. It was, like, a private joke with Newcastle fans."

For Guimarães, life is fun. It's what it's supposed to be. This could be another lifechanging month for him. "I've been blessed and want to do my best – not thinking about the pressure but playing our jogo bonito, dribbling past opponents," he says. "That's what matters."

As he gets up to leave, he takes a look at the proposed front cover of today’s programme, with his likeness in figurine form, and can't control his giggling. "Yes, yes, yes!" he chuckles. "I'm beautiful, it's beautiful, the shirt is nice as well.

"It looks like me, even the hair is almost the same. I love it!"