| Andy Bernal | |
| Fullname: | Andrew Bernal |
| Birth Date: | 1966 5, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Canberra, Australia |
| Height: | 1.780NaN0 |
| Position: | Defender |
| Youthyears1: | 1983–1985 |
| Youthclubs1: | AIS |
| Years1: | 1985-1988 |
| Years2: | 1985–1986 |
| Years3: | 1986–1987 |
| Years4: | 1988 |
| Years5: | 1987–1988 |
| Years6: | 1989–1994 |
| Years7: | 1994–2000 |
| Clubs1: | Sporting Gijon |
| Clubs2: | Albacete Balompié |
| Clubs3: | Xerez CD |
| Clubs4: | Nottingham Forest |
| Clubs5: | Ipswich Town |
| Clubs6: | Sydney Olympic |
| Clubs7: | Reading |
| Caps2: | 23 |
| Caps3: | 38 |
| Caps4: | 0 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Caps5: | 9 |
| Goals5: | 0 |
| Caps6: | 113 |
| Goals6: | 6 |
| Caps7: | 187 |
| Goals7: | 2 |
| Nationalyears1: | 1990–1996 |
| Nationalteam1: | Australia |
| Nationalcaps1: | 13 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
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.
Bernal was born in 1966 in Canberra to Spanish-born parents.[3]
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]
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.[14]