*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 May 2024
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 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]
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 Jô) 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]
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
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
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
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
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]
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.
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