Juan Bernat

Juan Bernat Velasco is a Spanish professional footballer known for his role as a left-back. He began his career at Valencia, where he played in La Liga for three seasons before transferring to Bayern Munich in 2014. During his time at Bayern, Bernat experienced considerable success, winning the Bundesliga title in each of his four seasons with the club and making 115 competitive appearances.


Bernat joined Paris Saint-Germain, where he played a key role in the team's journey to the 2020 UEFA Champions League Final, ultimately losing to his former club Bayern Munich. However, his time at PSG has also been marked by challenges, including an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in September 2020, which sidelined him for over a year.
On the international stage, Bernat has represented Spain, making his senior debut for the national team in 2014. He was part of the under-19 team that won the European Championship in 2012, showcasing his talent and potential at an early age. Currently, Bernat is on loan at Primeira Liga club Benfica from Paris Saint-Germain, continuing his professional career and aiming to make an impact on the pitch.


Juan Bernat Velasco hails from Cullera in the Valencian Community and emerged from the esteemed youth system of Valencia CF. His talent became evident early on, as he made his senior debut at the age of just 17, playing for the reserves in the Tercera División and contributing to their promotion to Segunda División B.
Impressing during the 2011 pre-season, Bernat caught the attention of the Valencia main squad. He showcased his potential by scoring in a 3–0 victory against Sporting CP and soon earned a professional contract until 2015.


Bernat's La Liga debut for Valencia came on 27 August 2011, in a thrilling 4–3 home win over Racing de Santander. He started the game but was substituted at halftime. His second league appearance followed on 22 January 2012, in a 1–1 draw against Osasuna.
While continuing to feature regularly for Valencia's reserves, Bernat demonstrated his versatility by playing as a left-back starting from the 2013 season onwards. He scored his first official goal for Valencia on 28 November 2012, in a Copa del Rey match against Llagostera. Additionally, he notched his first league goal approximately a year later in a match against Elche, although Valencia ultimately suffered a 2–1 defeat.


Juan Bernat made a significant move in his career by signing for Bayern Munich on a five-year contract. His debut for the club came on 13 August in the DFL-Supercup match against Borussia Dortmund, where he played the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 defeat. Subsequently, he made his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich on 22 August, contributing to a 2–1 home victory against VfL Wolfsburg.
Shortly after being recognized as the top talent in Outside of the Boot's Talent Radar Top 20 Young Players of 2014, Bernat achieved another milestone by scoring his first competitive goal for Bayern Munich. This occurred during a match against Wolfsburg on 30 January 2015, although Bayern suffered a 4–1 loss in that fixture.


Juan Bernat made a move to Paris Saint-Germain, signing a three-year deal with the club. His transfer to PSG came as a replacement for Yuri Berchiche, who had departed for Athletic Bilbao. Bernat made his debut in Ligue 1 for PSG on 14 September, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4–0 victory over Saint-Étienne.
Bernat scored his first competitive goal for Paris Saint-Germain on 6 November, netting in a 1–1 draw against Napoli in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. He continued to contribute goals in subsequent Champions League seasons, finding the net against prominent teams such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, and RB Leipzig.


Unfortunately, on 16 September 2020, Bernat suffered a significant setback when he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a match against Metz. It was estimated that he would be sidelined for six months due to the injury. However, despite this setback, Bernat demonstrated his commitment to PSG by signing a contract extension on 16 March 2021, which would keep him at the club until 2025. He eventually made his return to action on 15 October, featuring in a 2–1 league victory over Angers at the Parc des Princes.
Juan Bernat progressed through the Spanish international youth setup, representing various age groups from the under-16s to the under-21s. He made his debut with the under-16 team in 2009 and went on to feature for the under-17 side, reaching the final of the 2010 UEFA European Championship alongside his Valencia teammate Paco Alcácer.


Bernat was a part of the squad that clinched victory in the Under-19 Championship held in Estonia. His impressive performances caught the attention of the senior team manager, Vicente del Bosque, who called him up for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying matches against Slovakia and Luxembourg on 3 October 2014. Bernat made his senior debut on 12 October 2014, coming on as a substitute against Luxembourg and scoring the final goal in a convincing 4–0 victory.
On 1 September 2023, Juan Bernat embarked on a season-long loan to Benfica. He swiftly made his debut on 3 October, starting in a challenging Champions League encounter against Inter Milan, which ended in a narrow 1–0 defeat for Benfica in the group stage. Just four days later, Bernat made his first appearance in the Primeira Liga, entering the match as a substitute for David Jurásek in the 77th minute during Benfica's 1–0 away victory over Estoril.


Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18[31]
• DFB-Pokal: 2015–16[31]
• DFL-Supercup: 2016, 2018[31]

Paris Saint-Germain

• Ligue 1: 2018–19, 2019–20,[35] 2021–22,[36] 2022–23[37]
• Coupe de France: 2019–20[31]
• Coupe de la Ligue: 2019–20[38]
• Trophée des Champions: 2019,[39] 2022[40]
• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2019–20[31]

References

1.  "Paris Saint-Germain 2–1 LOSC Lille SA" (PDF) (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. p. 2. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
2. a b "Juan Bernat". Inter Star Deporte. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
3. ^ "Juan Bernat". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
4. ^ "Juan Bernat, de la Sub-20 a la absoluta en un año" [Juan Bernat, from the Under-20s to the full team in one year] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. 4 October 2014. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
5. ^ Calabuig, Pascual (30 May 2012). "La Primera División llama a Juan Bernat" [First Division beckons Juan Bernat]. Super Deporte (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 July 2014.
6. ^ "Soldado late show sinks Santander". ESPN FC. 27 August 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
7. ^ Malagón, Manuel (22 January 2012). "Osasuna y Valencia dejan lo mejor para el final" [Osasuna and Valencia leave best to the end]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 July 2014.
8. ^ Aldunate, Ramiro (28 November 2012). "Por algo se empieza" [You have to start somewhere]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 July 2014.
9. ^ "Herrera late show downs Valencia". ESPN FC. 24 November 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
10. ^ "Juan Bernat se afianza en el lateral izquierdo" [Juan Bernat getting stronger in left-back position]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). 2 July 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
11. ^ "Bayern sign Bernat". Bundesliga. 7 July 2014. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
12. ^ "Comunicado oficial" [Official announcement] (in Spanish). Valencia CF. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.