Andy Bernal

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.

Andy Bernal

Personal information
Full name	Andrew Bernal
Date of birth	(1966-05-16) 16 May 1966 (age 59)
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

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]