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Andy Bernal

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(Redirected from Andrew Bernal) Australian soccer player

Andy Bernal
Personal information
Full name Andrew Bernal
Date of birth (1966-05-16) 16 May 1966 (age 58)
Place of birth Canberra, Australia
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1983–1985 AIS
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985-1988 Sporting Gijon
1985–1986 Albacete Balompié 23
1986–1987 Xerez CD 38
1988 Nottingham Forest 0 (0)
1987–1988 Ipswich Town 9 (0)
1989–1994 Sydney Olympic 113 (6)
1994–2000 Reading 187 (2)
International career
1990–1996 Australia 13 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Andrew Bernal (born 16 May 1966) is a former professional soccer defender and football pioneer who played in Australia, England, and Spain. He was later a football agent and personal manager for David Beckham. In 2021, he wrote and released his autobiography Riding Shotgun – The Original Wizard of Oz. He currently works for the A-League football club Central Coast Mariners as Head of Athletic Development. In 2023 he released his second book The Vibe Manager an inside look at the 2023 A-League Champions.

Early life

Bernal was born in 1966 in Canberra to Spanish-born parents.

Playing career

Club career

After graduating from the Australian Institute of Sport, Bernal became the first Australian to play for a La Liga club when he joined Sporting Gijon. Gijon had intended to play him in their youth teams, however, as an Australia underage representative, he was classified as a foreigner, meaning he was not eligible. He went on to play almost 100 games of Spanish club football whilst on loan to Albacete Balompié and Xerez. Faced with compulsory military service as a Spanish citizen, Bernal chose to leave Spain and signed for Ipswich Town in September 1987. Returning to England from an Australian holiday, it was found that Bernal was playing on a student holiday visa and his English stint was cut shot.

In August 1988, Bernal signed with the Sydney Olympic ahead of the 1989 National Soccer League.

In 1994, he joined English team Reading in England for a reported £30,000 fee. He was part of the Reading team that narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League in the 1994–95 season. Bernal retired at the end of the 1999–2000 season, having made 187 league appearances.

International career

Bernal has also played for the Australian national team on 21 occasions between 1989 and 1996, 13 times in full international matches and eight in B internationals.

References

  1. Cockerill, Michael (23 July 2003). "Australian gets job as Beckham's amigo". The Age. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  2. Colangelo, Anthony (27 April 2021). "Aussie's roller-coaster stint as Beckham's 'agent, manager and bodyguard'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  3. "The Belsouth Boy who made it Big". Capital Football. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  4. Gaskin, Lee (24 July 2015). "Former Socceroo Andy Bernal, the first Australian to play in Spain, on Mat Ryan's move to Valencia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  5. "Times Sport Bernal's soccer career in jeopardy". The Canberra Times. Vol. 60, no. 18, 367. Australian Capital Territory. 14 January 1986. p. 18. Retrieved 26 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Bernal shoots for Socceroo spot". The Canberra Times. Vol. 62, no. 19, 247. Australian Capital Territory. 17 June 1988. p. 16. Retrieved 26 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. Dasey, Jason (23 January 1988). "Bernal's real goal is to play for Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 284. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  8. Cockerill, Michael (12 January 1989). "Bernal's return home is a passport to the future". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 46. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  9. "Bernal picks England". The Canberra Times. Vol. 62, no. 19, 053. Australian Capital Territory. 4 December 1987. p. 26. Retrieved 26 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "Bernal debuts with Olympic". The Canberra Times. Vol. 62, no. 19, 295. Australian Capital Territory. 4 August 1988. p. 24. Retrieved 26 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. Baskerville, Clive (11 November 1994). "Wages soak up income". Reading Evening Post. p. 74. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  12. Baskerville, Clive (30 May 1995). "So near yet so far". Reading Evening Post. p. 30. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  13. "Andy Bernal". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  14. Thomas, Josh (3 March 2021). "How ex-Socceroo Andy Bernal ended up working with David Beckham at Real Madrid". The Sporting News. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  15. Manuca, David (26 May 2021). "From Canberra to Madrid: The incredible story of Andy Bernal". Football Australia. Retrieved 14 January 2023.

External links


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