Bruno Guimarães stopped short of jealousy and offered a public benediction when his childhood friend Lucas Paquetá returned to Flamengo: "Let him be happy there. He was not happy here in England anymore. He is my brother, I want him to be happy. Even if it is at Flamengo and I am Vasco, what can I do?" Guimarães said the words on TV Globo’s As Convocadas as Brazil prepared for a World Cup warm-up.
The comment landed because it bundles three clear facts: Guimarães is a declared Vasco fan, Paquetá has just rejoined Flamengo, and the transfer was costly. Flamengo paid 42 million euros — about R$263 million at the time — to bring Paquetá back from West Ham, a purchase that followed Paquetá’s public wish to return to his former club.
Those numbers matter to the Rio rivalry. Paquetá’s second stint at Flamengo has been productive: he lifted the Carioca title, made 25 appearances and scored eight goals. Guimarães and Paquetá are both Rio-born, long-time friends, and both are listed in Brazil’s 26-man squad for the World Cup — which is why a late-night chat on television became a talking point rather than locker-room banter.
Guimarães’ remark is straightforward support between teammates and friends. He is a Newcastle midfielder who declared his Vasco allegiance long ago; Paquetá is back at the club where he built his domestic reputation. The exchange exposed how personal loyalties can override club rivalries, at least in public, when a friend’s mood and form are at stake.
There is an obvious tension beneath the friendly line: Vasco and Flamengo are bitter rivals in Rio, and supporters keep score even when players do not. A high-profile Vasco supporter applauding a €42 million move to Flamengo is the kind of social-media clip that fuels debates, memes and, for some fans, real anger. Still, Guimarães framed his stance as personal rather than performative — prioritizing Paquetá’s happiness over derby hours.
The TV Globo moment also served a practical purpose for Brazil’s preparation. Both men are in the 26-man group and will travel for the friendly against Egypt on Saturday 06 at 19:00 Brasília time in the United States. Paquetá’s return to Flamengo — and the immediate expectations that come with a big transfer fee and a title in the cupboard — put new pressure on how he will be used by Brazil in the final weeks before the tournament.
That pressure is the unresolved fact in the story. Paquetá’s return to a club where he has thrived should, in theory, boost his national-team case; yet the mechanics of how Flamengo minutes, form, and the €42 million price tag translate into a clearer role for Brazil remain unspecified. Coaches and teammates have not altered public plans in response to the transfer, and Guimarães’ endorsement answers one social question while leaving a sporting one open.
For now, the next public test arrives in the United States against Egypt, where both midfielders will have a chance to show how club moves and friendships play out on the pitch. The sharper question — whether Paquetá’s high-profile Flamengo return will change his role in Brazil’s starting midfield — arrives with the whistle on Saturday and with the selection decisions that follow.
