Photo: YantsImages / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Bruno Guimaraes, Arsenal's new Brazilian midfielder, wears the number 39 jersey — a choice rooted in his family's history rather than footballing tradition.
His father spent more than 20 years as a taxi driver in Brazil, and the taxi's number was 39. "The taxi, of course, gave me everything for my family, the place we live, the food, my clothes, everything," Guimaraes explained in his first interview as an Arsenal player.
The number was chosen by his father when Guimaraes was about to sign his first professional contract. "I asked my father which number I should take and he said 39. I was upset a little bit because I wanted to take the 97," Guimaraes said. His father insisted: "No, no, take the 39. The 39 gave you everything."
The significance deepened when Guimaraes joined Athletico Paranaense. Opening his kit bag after his medical, he found the number 39 already assigned to him. "I went to the kit man, and I said: 'Why the 39?' He said: 'Well, if you don't want it, you can change it.' I said: 'No, no, no, it's exactly what I want,'". he recalled. He immediately called his father, who broke down in tears.
"He said: 'I told you, this number is going to give you luck,'" Guimaraes added. The midfielder has worn 39 at every professional club since and has the number tattooed on his body. "Since then, I've always been the 39. It means everything to me."