Bruno Junichi Suzuki Castanheira (born 20 May 1990), commonly referred to as Bruno Suzuki (鈴木ブルーノ) or Bruno Castanheira, is a Brazilian

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays for Malaysia Football League club

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

. Born in Brazil, Bruno was raised in Japan, his maternal family country. He also holds Japanese citizenship.

Club career

Beginnings in Japan and Singapore loan

Bruno was sent out on loan to the

Japan Football League The , also known as simply the JFL, is the 4th tier of the Japanese association football league system, positioned beneath the three divisions of the J.League. The league features fully professional teams that hold J.League 100 Year Plan club sta ...

club,

Machida Zelvia commonly known as is a Japanese professional football club based in Machida, Tokyo. They currently play in the J1 League, following promotion as J2 League champions in 2023. History Formation and election to the Prefectural League (1989–2 ...

before returning and being sent out on loan again, this time with S.League club, Albirex Niigata Singapore on loan from the parent club in Japan. He made his debut in the 26 July 2010 clash against Balestier Khalsa, in the 1–1 draw. He scored 3 goals in the 2011 Singapore League Cup including a double in the quarter-finals against

Geylang United Geylang International Football Club is a professional football club based in Bedok, Singapore, that competes in Singapore Premier League, the top division of football in Singapore. The club was founded in 1973 and played their first season in 1 ...

. Bruno helped Albirex Niigata Singapore to lift the

Singapore League Cup The Singapore League Cup was an annual association football competition in Singapore. It was launched in 2007 and was open to teams who competed in the S.League. Albirex Niigata (S), a satellite club of Albirex Niigata of the J League, has won t ...

. In 2012, Bruno returned to parent club,

Albirex Niigata is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan. Formed in 1955 as Niigata Eleven SC, it was renamed Albireo Niigata FC in 1995, and Albirex Niigata in 1997. They currently play in J1 League after being promoted from J2 League as cha ...

. He played a couple of matches during pre-season and was given the squad number 27. However, he found first team opportunities hard to come by, only being named on the substitute's bench once.

Albirex Niigata Singapore

Bruno then signed with Albirex Niigata Singapore on a permanent basis for the 2013 S.League season upon expiration of his contract. The official announcement was made on 6 December 2012. Albirex Niigata Singapore finished second runner-up in the battle for second place, after a 3–1 defeat to

Home United Lion City Sailors Football Club, commonly referred to as the Sailors or LCS, is a Singaporean professional football club based in Bishan. It competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of the Singapore football league system. Founded ...

Bishan Stadium Bishan Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Bishan, Singapore, Bishan, Singapore. It is the main home ground of Singapore Premier League side Lion City Sailors FC, Lion City Sailors, and used mostly for Football (soccer), football matches. The s ...

during their last match day of the season, in which the White Swans needed a victory against the Protectors. He made 32 appearances and scored 7 goals in all competitions.

Home United

In November 2013, Bruno signed with S.League rival

Geylang International

On 23 December 2014, Bruno signed with

Geylang International Geylang International Football Club is a professional football club based in Bedok, Singapore, that competes in Singapore Premier League, the top division of football in Singapore. The club was founded in 1973 and played their first season ...

in the upcoming

2015 S.League The 2015 S.League was the 20th season since the establishment of the S.League, the top-flight Singaporean professional league for association football clubs. The league was also known as the Great Eastern Life, Great Eastern Yeo Hiap Seng, Yeo's S ...

campaign, where he was reunited with former Albirex Niigata Singapore teammates Tatsuro Inui, Kento Fukuda, and Yuki Ichikawa. On 4 October 2015, he scored a hat-trick against Courts Young Lions, ending

's nine-game winless streak.

Back to Japan

Brunep returned to Japan to play for the

J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yasud ...

team

FC Gifu Football Club Gifu (フットボールクラブ岐阜, ''Futtobōrukurabu Gifu''), abbreviated as is a Japanese football club based in Gifu, capital of Gifu Prefecture, Japan. They play in the J3 League, the third tier of Japanese professional ...

in 2016.

Negeri Sembilan FA

Bruno was signed by

Negeri Sembilan FA Negeri Sembilan Football Club (), commonly referred to as Negeri Sembilan or simply NSFC, is a Malaysian professional football club based in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. The club competes in the top division of Malaysian football, the Malaysia ...

, a club in playing in the

Malaysia Premier League The Malaysia Premier League () was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. It replaced the Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system. The Malaysia Premier League was contested by 12 clubs. The season usually ra ...

in 2017. After good performances in the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

, during which he scored 11 league goals, he was transferred to rival club in the same league, Terengganu II in early 2018.

Loan to Terengganu

Later in April the same year, he was brought to the Terengganu II's main team,

Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu) is a sultanate and States and federal territories of Malaysia, federal state of Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l-Iman (c ...

on a short-term basis. He returned to Terengganu II after Terengganu I secured another import player in June 2018.

Chonburi

In 2021, Terengganu has decided not to extend Bruno's contract and release him. Bruno was in negotiations with

Chonburi Chonburi (, , IAST: , ) is the capital of Chonburi Province and, as part of the district Mueang Chonburi District, Mueang Chonburi, the List of municipalities in Thailand, seventh-largest city in Thailand. It is about 100 km southeast of Ba ...

Thai League 1 The Thai League (, pronounced as ') or Thai League 1 (, pronounced as '), often referred to as T1, is the highest level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai L ...

but discussions were unsuccessful due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

situation in Thailand. Back to Malaysia Bruno signed a one-year contract with PDRM. On 10 December 2023, he scored his first hat-trick for the club in the 2023 Malaysia Super League fixture against

Kelantan Kelantan (; Kelantan-Pattani Malay, Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate''; ) is a state in Malaysia. The capital, Kota Bharu, includes the royal seat of Kubang Kerian. The honorific, honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' ("The Blissful Abode"). ...

in a 7–2 win.

Club statistics

''Updated to 1 November 2017''.Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社
"2016J1&J2&J3選手名鑑"
10 February 2016, Japan, (p. 237 out of 289)

Convert to Islam

On 2 August 2023, Bruno converted to Islam at the PULAPOL Mosque, Kuala Lumpur, and was witnessed by PULAPOL Commander SAC Nor Hisam Nordin with a few other Muslim football players and coach of PDRM FC

He recited the shahada, syahadah in front of the JAWI officer ''(Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department : Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan)''.

Honours

Albirex Niigata Singapore *

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Home United *

Singapore Cup The Singapore Cup is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Singaporean football. Established in 1998, it is the foremost prestigious cup competition in the country. It is open to clubs in the Singapore Premier League. Since ...

runner-up: 2014 * Singapore Community Shield runner-up: 2014 Terengganu II * Malaysia Challenge Cup: 2018 Terengganu FC * Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup: 2019 PDRM * MFL Challenge Cup : 2023

References

External links

*
Profile at FC Gifu
*

Bruno Castanheira signs for Albirex Niigata FC (S) on a permanent contract.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suzuki, Bruno 1990 births Living people Footballers from Paraná (state) Converts to Islam Brazilian sportspeople of Japanese descent Brazilian men's footballers Japanese men's footballers Japanese expatriate men's footballers J1 League players J2 League players Japan Football League players Singapore Premier League players Albirex Niigata players FC Machida Zelvia players FC Gifu players Albirex Niigata Singapore F.C. players Lion City Sailors FC players Geylang International FC players Malaysia Super League players Malaysia Premier League players Negeri Sembilan FC players Terengganu F.C. II players Terengganu FC players Polis Diraja Malaysia FC players Bruno Suzuki Bruno Suzuki Brazilian emigrants to Japan Brazilian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Singapore Expatriate men's footballers in Malaysia Expatriate men's footballers in Thailand Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Singapore Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Naturalized citizens of Japan Men's association football forwards People from Castanhal Footballers from Pará Naturalised association football players 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen