Bernard Anício Caldeira Duarte (born 8 September 1992), better known as Bernard (Brazilian Portuguese: [bɛʁˈnaʁ]), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Atlético Mineiro.[4] A left-sided player, he is known for his pace and technical ability.[5]

Bernard
Bernard with Shakhtar Donetsk in 2015
Personal information
Full name Bernard Anício Caldeira Duarte[1]
Date of birth (1992-09-08) 8 September 1992 (age 32)[2]
Place of birth Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Height 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)[3]
Position(s) Left winger, attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
Atlético Mineiro
Number 20
Youth career
1997–2006 Comercial EC do Barreiro
2006–2010 Atlético Mineiro
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2013 Atlético Mineiro 86 (18)
2010Democrata-SL (loan) 16 (14)
2013–2018 Shakhtar Donetsk 96 (14)
2018–2021 Everton 73 (5)
2021–2022 Sharjah 23 (4)
2022–2024 Panathinaikos 62 (12)
2024– Atlético Mineiro 0 (0)
International career
2012–2014 Brazil 14 (1)
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  Brazil
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner 2013 Brazil
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 May 2024

Born in Belo Horizonte, Bernard began his professional career with hometown club Atlético Mineiro, where he won the 2013 Copa Libertadores. He then moved for a reported €25 million fee to Shakhtar Donetsk, where he won three Ukrainian Premier League titles. In 2018, he joined Everton on a free transfer.

Bernard made his international debut for Brazil in 2012 and was in the squads that won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and reached the 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-finals on home soil.

Club career

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Atlético Mineiro

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Bernard started his footballing career in 2006, joining Atlético Mineiro's youth system, but was released twice because of his short height.[6] In 2010, he was loaned to Democrata FC (back then, a club which was made up entirely of Atlético Mineiro's youth players), to play in Campeonato Mineiro Segunda Divisão (third level).[7]

 
Bernard playing for Atlético Mineiro in 2012

After being the top goalscorer at Democrata (14 goals in only 16 games), Bernard returned to Atlético. Despite being young enough to play in Copa São Paulo de Juniores, he was called up by the manager Dorival Júnior to play for first team.[8]

He made his debut with the club in the match against Uberaba, on 23 March 2011, playing in the right back position due to the squad's injury crisis at the time.[9][10] He then returned to youth squads, scoring the winning goal of the Taça Belo Horizonte de Juniores.

After Dorival's dismissal and the appointment of Cuca, Bernard returned to the first team squad. On 21 May, he made his Série A debut, against Atlético Paranaense. In his first season, Bernard appeared 23 times for Galo (19 starts, 1794 minutes overall). On 14 September, Atlético's president Alexandre Kalil rejected a £3.4 million bid from Al Ahli Doha.

He scored his first professional goal on 29 January 2012, against Boa Esporte.[11] He then scored again against Caldense on 11 February, and twice against América-MG on 13 May, Campeonato Mineiro's final. His first Série A goal came on 23 June, in a 5–1 routing against Náutico.[12] He finished the season with 36 appearances (all starts, 3100 minutes overall), scoring eleven times, leading the club (along with Ronaldinho and ) to a second-place finish in the league. Bernard also won Brasileirão's Best Newcomer.[13]

In December, Spartak Moscow had an £9.8 million offer rejected by Atlético.[14]

On 30 July 2013, Atlético accepted a £22 million bid from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk. Bernard's agent and father, however, revealed his son was set on joining FC Porto, although Atlético's president Alexandre Kalil revealed Shakhtar were the only club to submit an offer for the player.[15]

Shakhtar Donetsk

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Bernard with Shakhtar Donetsk in 2015

On 8 August 2013 Shakhtar Donetsk announced the signing of Bernard on a five-year deal for a reported €25 million.[16] He made his debut for the Ukrainian side on 31 August, coming on as a substitute for Douglas Costa, in the 1–1 draw with FC Metalist Kharkiv.[17]

Bernard was chosen as one of the top 11 South American players 2013 by the Spanish newspaper El País.[18][19]

Commenting on the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution, Bernard stated that he was willing to leave Shakhtar if the situation intensified, and had made arrangements for a potential emergency exit.[20] His contract expired at the end of the 2017–18 season, and he became a free agent.[21]

Everton

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Bernard joined English club Everton on 9 August 2018, signing a four-year deal with the Premier League side.[22][23] Manager Marco Silva ignored concerns over Bernard's height and physicality, instead signing him for his technical ability.[24] He made his debut on 25 August in a 2–2 draw at AFC Bournemouth, replacing Theo Walcott for the final five minutes.[25]

He scored his first goal for Everton on 5 January 2019 in a 2–1 FA Cup win over Lincoln City in the 3rd round.[26] He then scored his first Premier League goal on 30 March 2019 in a 2–0 victory against West Ham United.[27] On 10 February 2021, he scored the winning goal in a 5–4 win over Tottenham Hotspur after extra-time in the 2020–21 FA Cup 5th round tie.[28]

Sharjah

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On 22 July 2021, Bernard signed a two-year deal with UAE Pro League club Sharjah for a reported fee of €1 million.[29]

Panathinaikos

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On 21 August 2022, Super League Greece club Panathinaikos announced the signing of Bernard.[4] He made his debut on 11 September in a league match against AEK Athens, coming on as a second-half substitution in a 2–1 win.[30] He was one of their best players

Return to Atlético Mineiro

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On 5 February 2024, Atlético Mineiro announced an agreement with Bernard for his return to the club upon the expiration of his contract with Panathinaikos in July 2024.[31]

International career

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Bernard (center), playing for Brazil at the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Bernard was first called up for Brazil on 11 September 2012, to the Superclásico de las Américas, by coach Mano Menezes.[32] He made his debut for Brazil as a 74th-minute substitute for Lucas Marques on 21 November 2012, in the 2nd leg of the 2012 Superclásico de las Américas against Argentina, where the Seleção won the title on penalties.

He was selected in Brazil's squad for their hosting of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, making his first appearance in the final group game against Italy for the last 20 minutes in place of Neymar. He also came on as a substitute in the semi-final victory over Uruguay, as Brazil went on to win the trophy.

After being regularly called up by manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, Bernard was named among the final 23-man squad ahead of 2014 FIFA World Cup on 7 May 2014.[33] He played in the opening game against Croatia as a substitute for Hulk, and came on at half-time in Brazil's second group game against Mexico, a 0–0 draw. He was then unused until his first start in a major tournament, playing all 90 minutes of the 7–1 defeat to Germany in his hometown of Belo Horizonte.

He remained an unused substitute in the third place play-off match against Netherlands, which Brazil lost 3–0.

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 25 May 2024[34]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League State league[a] National cup[b] League cup[c] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Democrata-SL 2010 16 14 16 14
Atlético Mineiro 2011 Série A 23 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 28 0
2012 36 11 9 4 2 0 47 15
2013 3 1 11 2 0 0 11[d] 4 25 7
Total 62 12 24 6 3 0 11 4 100 22
Shakhtar Donetsk 2013–14 Ukrainian Premier League 18 2 3 1 8[e] 0 0 0 29 3
2014–15 14 0 4 2 5[f] 0 0 0 23 2
2015–16 21 2 4 3 13[g] 0 1[h] 1 39 6
2016–17 24 4 3 0 9[i] 3 1[h] 0 37 7
2017–18 19 6 1 1 8[f] 3 1[h] 0 29 10
Total 96 14 15 7 43 6 3 1 157 28
Everton 2018–19 Premier League 34 1 1 1 1 0 36 2
2019–20 27 3 1 0 2 0 30 3
2020–21 12 1 3 1 3 1 18 3
Total 73 5 5 2 6 1 84 8
Sharjah 2021–22 UAE Pro League 23 4 1 1 3 1 6[j] 3 33 9
Panathinaikos 2022–23 Super League Greece 31 2 4 0 35 2
2023–24 31 10 7 0 12[k] 1 50 11
Total 62 12 11 0 12 1 85 13
Atlético Mineiro 2024 Série A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career total 318 46 40 20 35 10 9 2 72 14 3 1 477 93
  1. ^ Includes Campeonato Mineiro
  2. ^ Includes Copa do Brasil, Ukrainian Cup, FA Cup, UAE President's Cup, Greek Cup
  3. ^ Includes EFL Cup, UAE League Cup
  4. ^ Appearances in Copa Libertadores
  5. ^ Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
  6. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  7. ^ Eight appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances in UEFA Europa League
  8. ^ a b c Appearance in Ukrainian Super Cup
  9. ^ One appearance and one goal in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League
  10. ^ Appearances in AFC Champions League
  11. ^ Six appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[35]
National team Year Apps Goals
Brazil 2012 1 0
2013 9 1
2014 4 0
Total 14 1
Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bernard goal.
List of international goals scored by Bernard
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 16 November 2013 Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States   Honduras 1–0 5–0 Friendly

Honours

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Atlético Mineiro

Shakhtar Donetsk

Panathinaikos

Brazil

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of players: Brazil" (PDF). FIFA. 14 July 2014. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  2. ^ Shakhtar Squad 2015–2016 | First Team | FC Shakhtar Donetsk Archived 29 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Shakhtar.com. Retrieved on 2 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Bernard Profile". Premier League. 13 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Παναθηναϊκός: Ανακοινώθηκε η απόκτηση του Μπερνάρντ από τα μεγάφωνα της Λεωφόρου!" [Panathinaikos: Announced the signing of Bernard from the speakers of Leoforos Stadium]. Gazzetta.gr (in Greek). Gazzetta. 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  5. ^ Atkins, Christopher. "World Cup 2014: Ten potential breakout stars". www.espnfc.com. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  6. ^ Entrevista Exclusiva: Bernard (Exclusive interview: Bernard); Galo de Prata, 12 December 2010 (in Portuguese)
  7. ^ Democrata já tem grupo definido para o mineiro (Democrata already has a definitive role to play in Mineiro) Archived 12 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine; Portal Sete, 13 August 2010 (in Portuguese)
  8. ^ Além de reforços, Dorival Júnior vai receber jogadores da categoria de base (In addition to signings, Dorival Júnior will receive youth team players); Superesporte, 1 January 2011 (in Portuguese)
  9. ^ 201111 Atlético 1 x 1 Uberaba-MG; Galo Digital, 23 March 2011 (in Portuguese)
  10. ^ Elogiado por Dorival, Bernard comemora boa estreia na lateral (Praised by Dorival, Bernard celebrates good debut as a full back); Terra, 24 March 2011 (in Portuguese)
  11. ^ Jovem Bernard desencanta e marca primeiro gol como profissional do Atlético (Bernard scores first professional goal for Atlético); Super Esportes, 29 January 2012 (in Portuguese)
  12. ^ Na estreia em BH, R49 faz um gol, e Atlético-MG goleia o Náutico por 5 a 1 (In BH's debut, R49 scores once, and Atlético-MG thrashes Náutico by 5–1); Globo Esporte, 23 June 2012 (in Portuguese)
  13. ^ Eleito revelação do Brasileirão, Bernard atribui feito a Ronaldinho: "Cresci com ele" (Elected Brasileirão's best newcomer, Bernard dedicates trophy to Ronaldinho: "I have learned much with him") Archived 14 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine; UOL Esporte, 23 November 2012 (in Portuguese)
  14. ^ Após recusa de proposta pelo Atlético-MG, Bernard segue com futuro indefinido (After bid was rejected by Atlético-MG, Bernard was still has undetermined future); UOL Esporte, 19 December 2012 (in Portuguese)
  15. ^ Atletico Mineiro accept Shakhtar Donetsk's Bernard bid; Goal.com, 30 July 2013
  16. ^ Shakhtar Donetsk announce Bernard signing; Goal.com, 8 August 2013
  17. ^ Shakhtar vs Metalist: the strongest play out a draw; Shakhtar's official website, 31 August 2013
  18. ^ Неймар и Бернард попали в символическую сборной Южной Америки в 2013 году (Neymar and Bernard were in symbolic team of South America in 2013); UA, 1 January 2014 (in Russian)
  19. ^ Жо, Неймар и Бернард попали в символическую сборной Южной Америки в 2013 году (Jô, Neymar and Bernard were in symbolic team of South America in 2013); Sport.ru, 1 January 2014 (in Russian)
  20. ^ Shakhtar’s Bernard concerned with situation in Ukraine as he links up with Brazil squad; Sambafoot, 3 March 2014
  21. ^ Усиление будет (in Russian). FC Shakhtar Donetsk. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  22. ^ Kirkbride, Phil (9 August 2018). "Silva reveals where Bernard will play for Everton". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  23. ^ "Bernard: Everton sign Brazil winger on free transfer". BBC Sport. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  24. ^ Kirkbride, Phil (2 October 2018). "Everton ignored calls that Bernard was 'too small' for the Premier League to sign Brazilian". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  25. ^ O'Farrell, Luke (26 August 2018). "Richarlison sent off, Theo Walcott impresses as Everton draw Bournemouth". ESPN FC. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  26. ^ "Everton 2–1 Lincoln City". BBC Sport. 5 January 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  27. ^ "West Ham United 0–2 Everton". BBC Sport. 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  28. ^ "Everton 5–4 Tottenham Hotspur". BBC Sport. 10 February 2021.
  29. ^ "Everton midfielder Bernard joins UAE outfit Sharjah FC". Goal.com. 22 July 2021.
  30. ^ "Panathinaikos – AEK Athen 2:1 (Super League 2022/2023, 4. Round)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  31. ^ "Bernard é do Galo". atletico.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 5 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  32. ^ Mano Menezes aposta em base paulista e Fabuloso para o Superclássico Archived 13 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Gazetaesportiva.net. Retrieved on 2 December 2015.
  33. ^ World Cup 2014: Kaka and Robinho omitted from Brazil squad; BBC Sport, 7 May 2014
  34. ^ "Brazil – Bernard – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  35. ^ "Bernard (Player)". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
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