Andy Bernal
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrew Bernal | ||
| Date of birth | 16 May 1966 | ||
| 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.[1] In 2021, he wrote and released his autobiography Riding Shotgun – The Original Wizard of Oz.[2] 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
[edit]Bernal was born in 1966 in Canberra to Spanish-born parents.[3]
Playing career
[edit]Club career
[edit]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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6][7][8][9]
In August 1988, Bernal signed with the Sydney Olympic ahead of the 1989 National Soccer League.[10]
In 1994, he joined English team Reading in England for a reported £30,000 fee.[11] He was part of the Reading team that narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League in the 1994–95 season.[12] Bernal retired at the end of the 1999–2000 season, having made 187 league appearances.[13][14]
International career
[edit]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.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Cockerill, Michael (23 July 2003). "Australian gets job as Beckham's amigo". The Age. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The Belsouth Boy who made it Big". Capital Football. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Dasey, Jason (23 January 1988). "Bernal's real goal is to play for Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 284. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Baskerville, Clive (11 November 1994). "Wages soak up income". Reading Evening Post. p. 74. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ Baskerville, Clive (30 May 1995). "So near yet so far". Reading Evening Post. p. 30. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "Andy Bernal". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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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- 1966 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Canberra
- Soccer players from the Australian Capital Territory
- Australian people of Spanish descent
- Men's association football defenders
- Australian men's soccer players
- Australian expatriate men's soccer players
- Australia men's international soccer players
- La Liga players
- National Soccer League (Australia) players
- Albacete Balompié players
- Ipswich Town F.C. players
- Reading F.C. players
- Sporting de Gijón players
- Sydney Olympic FC players
- Xerez CD footballers
- Australian Institute of Sport soccer players
- English Football League players
- Central Coast Mariners FC non-playing staff
- 20th-century Australian sportsmen
- Australian soccer defender stubs