🚨 Bruno Guimaraes on his emotional celebration after scoring against Leeds United: “When I played for Newcastle, coming to the Emirates was never a quiet experience. I remember one match, somebody in the crowd spent almost the entire game shouting at me. Every time I touched the ball, I could hear him. At one point I looked towards the stands and he shouted something else. I couldn’t understand everything, but I understood enough. So when I signed for Arsenal, one of my friends said, ‘Bruno, what about all those supporters who used to hate you?’ I said, ‘Well, hopefully they remember we’re on the same side now.’ But football is funny because you can sign a contract, wear the shirt, take the photographs, and people will welcome you. Still, there’s a difference between being welcomed into a club and feeling that you belong there. Today, Leeds scored first. I was sitting on the bench watching the game, and you could feel the frustration around the stadium. Then Riccardo Calafiori equalised. Almost immediately, Mikel called me. ‘Bruno, you’re going in.’ I said, ‘Okay, boss.’ He started explaining what he wanted. I was listening, but I was also watching the pitch because suddenly the game had changed. We’d just equalised. The crowd was awake again. Leeds were beginning to feel the pressure. Mikel looked at me. ‘Bruno, are you listening?’ ‘Yes, boss.’ ‘What did I say?’ I told him. He smiled and said, ‘Good. Now go and do it.’ I came on in the 63rd minute. A few minutes later, Declan Rice found me. I remember seeing the space and thinking, ‘Don’t hit this too hard.’ Because sometimes, as a midfielder, you get into a good position and suddenly you want to score the most beautiful goal of your career. You forget that the goal is the important part, not how it looks. So I just concentrated on putting the ball where I wanted it. And it went in. I turned towards the supporters. Honestly, I didn’t know where I was running. I just knew I wanted to go to them. And when I reached the crowd, people were grabbing me, shouting, pulling at my shirt. For a moment, I couldn’t even see my teammates. I remember thinking, ‘These are the same people who used to shout at me when I came here with Newcastle.’ Now they’re holding me like we’ve known each other for 20 years. That’s football. Afterwards, somebody asked me why I put my hands behind my ears during the celebration. I said, ‘Because I wanted to hear them.’ He laughed. But I meant it. When you play away from home, you sometimes hear thousands of people telling you they don’t like you. You learn to ignore it. Today, I wanted to listen. Because those seven minutes meant a lot to me. When I arrived at Arsenal, I knew people expected something from me. That’s normal when you join a club like this. But you cannot ask supporters to love you just because you’ve signed a contract. You have to give them a reason. And today, when I ran towards that crowd, I felt something I hadn’t felt before. I wasn’t the Newcastle player they used to shout at anymore. I was their player. Actually, I hope I meet that supporter who used to shout at me. I’d like to ask him whether he remembers me. Although knowing Arsenal fans, he’ll probably say, ‘Of course I remember you. Now stop talking and go and win us the league.’”