Oh Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells. This verse taken from the famous poem by Walt Whitman could have been written for Patrice Bernier, whose career will soon end in the same city as it started, back in 2000. Since then, the tenacious and talented midfielder has lived an exemplary and international adventure, playing for clubs in Norway, in Germany and in Denmark, as well as earning 56 caps for the Canadian men’s national team, scoring twice and adding five assists.
Those with an elephant’s memory will remember that the captain had announced before the 2017 season that this would be his final year as a player. What comeback does the man hailing from Brossard make on his last campaign on the pitch?
“I had doubts during the season,” confides Bernier. “There were moments when I thought I wanted to continue, and other moments when I was at peace with my decision. A long time ago, I set myself an objective: to play professionally until I was 38. I feel like I was able to hold my own and I am happy to finish my career near my highest level.”
The Impact captain will be saluted by the club prior to and after his last career game at Stade Saputo, on Sunday, October 22, at 4pm against the New England Revolution (TICKETS), which will also be the final game of the 2017 regular season for the Bleu-blanc-noir.
“It means we are getting to the point of no return for me, as a player. It will put an end to my career in a nice way. We knew the final game of the season would be played at home. It’s good for me to finish my career at home, where I started, in front of my family, friends and supporters.”
It will be weird to come to an Impact game near the Montreal Tower and not see Patrice Bernier in the squad, but we still should see him in bleu-blanc-noir.
“I know there are no more games at Stade Saputo for me as a player, but I will still be there, as a supporter.”
