Andy Bernal
Personal information
Full name Andrew Bernal
Date of birth (1966-05-16) 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 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, Football Coach, and Vibe Manager.

Early life

Bernal was born in 1966 in Canberra to Spanish-born parents.[3]

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.[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

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

  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.


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