Murillo reacts as Jesus and Cunha share first Nottingham Forest update
Murillo has responded after fellow Brazilians Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha shared their latest updates since joining Nottingham Forest.
Brazilian centre-back Murillo has enjoyed a superb start to life in Nottingham, after the 23-year-old joined from Corinthians in the summer of 2023 and hit the ground running under Nuno Espirito Santo, establishing himself as first-choice centre-back.
He was part of a dogged Forest backline last season that kept 13 clean sheets, winning Matz Sels the golden glove award alongside Arsenal’s David Raya.
Forest’s resilience stemmed from Murillo’s partnership with Serbian Nikola Milenkovic who, like the Brazilian, also cemented his place swiftly in his debut season.
As a result, Milenkovic won Forest’s player of the season for the 2024-25 campaign as the Garibaldi secured Conference League football.
Looking to build upon their strong foundations under Espirito Santo, the club bought Botafogo pair Jesus and Cunha to bolster their ranks.
Brazilians in arms as Botafogo duo join Forest
About to enter his third season in Nottingham, Murillo is all to aware of the difficulties of leaving his home country to play football in a foreign land.
In an Instagram post (25 July) on the Nottingham Forest official account captioned “Checking in with our new Brazilians”, both Cunha and Jesus provided updates on how they’ve adjusted to England.
Forward Jesus said: “I think I’m settling well. The players have made me feel very welcome. I feel at home already after just a few days’ work.
“I’m happy with this new opportunity and I hope to prepare as much as possible for the upcoming season.”
New defender Cunha also gave his thoughts, stating: “I feel great, really happy to be wearing this shirt.
“I’m looking forward to making my debut and just want to add to the group and prepare well for the upcoming competitions.”
In support of his compatriots, Murillo liked the post as the 24-year-old and the 20-year-old continue to adapt to life in the Premier League.
Portuguese language the life and soul of the City Ground
Football Insider verdict
One of the reasons why Portuguese manager Espirito Santo has been so successful stems from his utilisation of Portuguese speaking players.
From his time at Wolves where he oversaw a rich Lusophonic squad that featured Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Daniel Podence, the ex-Valencia boss has used the Portuguese language at the centre of his plans.
In particular, having Portuguese speakers in the side allows Brazilians to feel more at home, given that many of them struggle with English upon arrival.
| Nottingham Forest’s Portuguese speakers | Country |
| Carlos Miguel | Brazil |
| Murillo | Brazil |
| Morato | Brazil |
| Jair Cunha | Brazil |
| David Carmo | Angola |
| Jota Silva | Portugal |
| Igor Jesus | Brazil |
For Jesus and Cunha, knowing that the manager speaks their language as well as other players will ease the transition from Brazil to England.
This translates from training onto the pitch as arriving players can express themselves in their mother tongue, avoiding the embarrassment of making mistakes in their early stage English.
Conference League football will add another set of fixtures to Forest’s hectic schedule, meaning Espirito Santo will be calling upon his new Brazilian additions across the season.