This is another offer he couldn’t refuse.
When Hernán Bernardello left the Montreal Impact for Mexico and Cruz Azul, in the summer of 2014, he had gotten a once-in-a-lifetime offer.
This time around, after he left Spanish club Alavés, Bernardello got calls from other Spanish clubs and Argentine teams. But when the Impact came knocking, he didn’t think twice.
“When I got the opportunity to come back here, there were no doubts in my mind,” Bernardello said after training on Tuesday morning. “The year that I spent here wasn’t necessarily my best on the field, but I was very comfortable at this club, in this city and with our supporters.”
“I’m very happy to be back,” he continued. “I already know the city and quite a few of my teammates. I’m here to help them.”
Two years after his first stay ended, Bernardello gets reacquainted with a club that’s both very similar and quite different from the one that he left in 2014. As he was joining Cruz Azul, Nacho Piatti was landing in Montreal – this almost sounds like another era altogether. Now, Bernardello will get to play with his fellow Argentine, whose teammates are now called Didier Drogba, Laurent Ciman or Hassoun Camara..
“I’ve seen the team play,” said Bernardello. “We have great players. I’m here to help the team, to work hard and to give the very best of myself to the group. We have good options up front with Drogba and Piatti, and I’m more of a ball-winner – I help the forwards the best I can.”
More than anything, Bernardello can attest to the fact that the Impact has undergone “a great evolution,” notably with the opening of Centre Nutrilait. He saw the training facility for the first time on Tuesday and commented that “this is a training centre the likes of which you don’t see very often, only at big clubs.”
But matchdays are what Bernardello is most looking forward to.
“I’ve just finished my season in Spain,” he said. “I haven’t had that many chances to play, but I’ve kept on training. All that’s missing is match fitness. Hopefully, I’ll be available for selection as soon as possible.”
