Andy Bernal
Andrew Bernal 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.