Everton winger Bernard says he wants to return to his boyhood club Atlético Mineiro one day and preferably not when he is too old.
The 27-year old grew up as a Galo fan in Belo Horizonte and won the Copa Libertadores with them in
2013, shortly before joining Shakhtar Donetsk.
“I feel like going back, yes. It is my priority. I aim for that,” he told TV Galo. “When we say that, most people say: “You will come back when you are old, so we don’t want to.
I have in mind that I want to go back to Atlético and be good. I don’t want to go back in a moment when I won’t be able to give what I always gave. To run, work hard, score goals and to give joy.”
Bernard was a teammate of Ronaldinho at Atlético, something the Brazilian says gave him great joy. “He is a guy who was always an idol to me, a guy I always watched.
“A guy I had a great affection for without knowing him, and I have even more after playing with him. It was a special moment at Atlético to be able to have experienced all this.”