“Bernard is back,” Atlético Mineiro wrote several times onsocial media to celebrate the signing of the attacking midfielder, who emerged from the club and spent most of the last decade in European football.
According to official information, the footballer who was part of Brazil’s squad in the 2014 World Cup and won the 2013 Confederations Cup with the Seleção will arrive in Belo Horizonte in July to sign a contract with Galo until December 2027. At 31, Bernard currently plays for Panathinaikos, where he scored a goal in the derby against Olympiacos on Sunday.
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Bernard returns home
During his first stint at Galo, Bernard played scored 22 goals in 100 appearances. He helped the team won its first-ever Copa Libertadores title in 2013, while also winning the Campeonato Mineiro twice and contributing to a second-place finish in the Brasileirão. “Farewell is not always goodbye. It can be goodbye, and even if goodbye lasts a long time, it’s coming back to those you love,” Bernard wrote on social media shortly after his return was announced.
🐔📝 BEM-VINDO DE VOLTA À SUA CASA, BERNARD! 🏴🏳️
💪 O #Galo acertou a contratação do meio-campista Bernard até dezembro de 2027. Ídolo, CAMpeão da Libertadores 2013 e BiCAMpeão Mineiro (2012 e 2013), o atleta chega no meio do ano, após finalizar o vínculo com o seu clube… pic.twitter.com/ORq8fBMd5Y
— Atlético (@Atletico) February 5, 2024
In 2013, he was sold to Shakhtar Donetsk for 25 million euros, and after five seasons, he moved to Everton in the Premier League. Before signing with Panathinaikos in 2022, he played a season for Al Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
Fast, skillful, and with the ability to play on both wings of the field thanks to his great control with both feet are some of the skills that made him stand out from the rest. Atlético Mineiro finished third in the Brasileirão last year and will compete in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores 2024, which is why this addition fuels their high aspirations.
