Bruno Guimaraes compares playing for Brazil to Newcastle United

Bruno Guimaraes put in a Player of the Match performance in Brazil's win over Egypt at the weekend.

The Newcastle United captain opened the scoring for his country and was widely regarded as the best player on the pitch in Brazil's final warm-up match before the World Cup gets underway.

Bruno had his best season in terms of goal scoring for Newcastle this season, so his getting on the score sheet for Brazil is a continuation of his form for the Magpies.

It seems that's not a coincidence, as Bruno has spoken out about playing under Carlo Ancelotti and compared it to playing for Newcastle.

Bruno Guimaraes is loving life under Carlo Ancelotti

Speaking to reporters after the Egypt game, as relayed by iG, Bruno spoke about how Ancelotti treated him when he came in as the new head coach, and has allowed him to play his game his way.

“He (Ancelotti) was the person who gave me the most confidence to play here. In my first call-ups, he asked where I wanted to play and where I felt most comfortable.

“He gave me that freedom and confidence to play the football I play at my club. He took all the weight off me.

“Today I can be the Bruno that I am at my club here. I feel very good with the manager’s confidence. He made me one of the leaders of the group, which was very important for me.”

Will Brazil turn it up for the tournament?

Being able to play a similar role to the one he fills at Newcastle has clearly meant a lot to Bruno, as has the fact that Ancelotti has given him a leadership role.

Brazil has underperformed recently, but it sounds as though Ancelotti is working hard to change that. Although their struggle to beat Egypt still suggests they're way off the expected levels.

That being said, they could still turn it up another level for the tournament, which we will be hoping will be the case for England after that snooze-fest against New Zealand at the weekend.