Bruno Guimarães lavished praise on an 'unbelievable' Declan Rice after the England midfielder sparked Arsenal's dramatic late fightback against Bayern Munich. Rice netted an 82nd-minute leveler at the Allianz Arena to secure a 2-2 draw and keep Arsenal's unbeaten UEFA Champions League campaign intact.
The two midfielders have developed a strong partnership since Guimarães completed his £75 million ($101 million) switch from Newcastle United to Arsenal, and the Brazilian international is thoroughly enjoying lining up alongside his new teammate. "He's so good, he's an unbelievable player, unbelievable guy," Guimarães enthused after the final whistle, via The Mirror.
"He's trying to help me a lot since my first day in the club. I think he can play like me as a six, as an eight, as a 10, everywhere in the midfield. I think the manager is still trying to get the best version of ourselves.
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"Today, I played more as a six, he plays more as an 8. I enjoy a lot playing with him, with Martin [Ødegaard] as well, a top player, so good with the ball. The pass from him here today for [Eberechi] Eze was an unbelievable pass. I think we've had a good run so far, we've been enjoying playing with each other."
During his time at Newcastle, Guimarães and Rice were no strangers to fierce on-field battles. Yet the pair have now developed quite the bromance, with the 28-year-old reflecting: "I was not nice to him when we played against each other, he was not nice to me.
"But now we are nice to each other and try to help each other on the pitch. Now I'm trying to enjoy my new teammates."
With the match level at 1-1 in the second half, Guimarães came agonizingly close to restoring Arsenal's lead with a header, only to be denied by a stunning stop from Manuel Neuer. Harry Kane then converted from the penalty spot and put Bayern 2-1 ahead, before Rice delivered the crucial equalizer.
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"I think it was an unbelievable game for someone who likes football, and we showed good character from the team," Guimarães continued. "Neuer saved my header. It was an unbelievable save, I was already celebrating and he made a beautiful save from my point of the view.
"I asked him after the game, 'How did you manage to save it?' And he said, I still don't know how I saved it! He's an unbelievable keeper for me. One of the best keepers in the world. No matter how old he is, he's top.
"It's just the standard of the Champions League, two top teams fight for every ball until the end. I think it was a good game. Of course we want to win, but a draw in the end is okay. Saturday (against Everton) we have a top game at home and we have to be very good at home because we want to win the Premier League again."