Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 30, 2026

Marc Bernal

Marc Bernal Casas is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team.

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Marc Bernal
Bernal in 2025
Personal information
Full name Marc Bernal Casas
Date of birth (2007-05-26) 26 May 2007
Place of birth Berga, Spain
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Barcelona
Number 22
Youth career
2011–2013 Berga
2013–2014 Gimnàstic Manresa
2014–2024 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2024 Barcelona B 27 (2)
2024– Barcelona 25 (2)
International career‡
2023–2024 Spain U17 11 (0)
2026– Spain U21 2 (0)
2025– Catalonia 1 (0)
2026– Spain 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:30, 23 May 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:46, 4 June 2026 (UTC)

Marc Bernal Casas (born 26 May 2007) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team.

Early life and education

He was born on 26 May 2007 in Berga, Catalonia, to Toni Bernal and Queralt Casas. He has an older brother, Toni, who studied law and business administration while coaching youth teams at CE Berga. His father, Toni, played football in the Catalan leagues during the 1990s for clubs like Sants and Júpiter, while his mother, Queralt, works for the Fundación Horitzó del Berguedà, an entity dedicated to the social and occupational inclusion of individuals with disabilities. Bernal´s first language is Catalan. Having grown up entirely in Catalonia and immersed in his native language and local culture, he communicates primarily in Catalan in his daily life.123

During his school years, he balanced rigorous training commitments with his academic responsibilities. After entering FC Barcelona's La Masia academy at the age of six, support structures coordinated with the academy to help him manage his studies alongside his rapid progression through the youth ranks. Growing up alongside fellow talents of the "Class of 2007" such as Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí, Bernal successfully balanced his education with his development into a first-team defensive midfielder.45

Club career

Born in Berga, Barcelona, Catalonia, Bernal is a youth product of CE Berga and Gimnàstic Manresa, and moved to La Masia at the age of 6 where he worked his way up their youth categories.67 On 23 June 2023, he signed his first professional contract with Barcelona until 2026.8 He made his senior and professional debut with Barcelona Atlètic in a 1–0 Primera Federación loss to Logroñés on 27 August.9 He scored his first professional goals with Barcelona Atlètic in a 3–1 win over Sestao on 22 October.10

On 17 August 2024, he made his La Liga debut with Barcelona, by starting in a 2–1 away win over Valencia.11 Later that month, on 27 August, he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee in a 2–1 away win over Rayo Vallecano.12 A month later, on 30 September, Barcelona announced an adjustment to Bernal's contract by including a buyout clause of €500 million, binding him to the club until 30 June 2026 with an option to three more years.13

Bernal made his return from his 383-day absence on 14 September 2025, in a 6–0 win over Valencia, getting an assist.14 Later that month, on 29 September, he extended his contract until 2029.15 On 7 February 2026, Bernal scored his first goal for the Blaugranas in a 3–0 win over Mallorca at the Camp Nou.16 A month later, on 18 March, he netted his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 7–2 win over Newcastle United during the competition's round of 16.17

International career

Bernal was called up to a training camp for the Spain U16s in October 2022.18 In August 2023, he was named to a training camp for the Spain U18s.19 He was named to the final squad for the Spain U17s at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup.20

He was named to the final squad for the Spain U17s at the 2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.21

Bernal debuted with the Catalonia team in a friendly 2–1 win over Palestine on 18 November 2025.22

In 2026, he was called up to the Spanish national team's provisional squad ahead of the 2026 FIFA Worldcup, but did not play at the World Cup itself. Consequently, he debuted on June 4, 2026 in a friendly against Iraq at age 19. 23

Style of play

Bernal is a 6'4'' versatile left-footed midfielder who usually plays as a defensive midfielder, but can also play more offensively if required. He has a robust physique, and has great passing skills. He is level headed and can pass well under pressure.24 He has also drawn the comparison of Sergio Busquets. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has shown strong faith in his potential, making clear to the player that he remains his second-choice defensive midfielder and expressing continued confidence in his long-term role within the first team.25

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 23 May 202626
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Copa del Rey Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Barcelona Atlètic 2023–24 Primera Federación 27 2 — — 4a 0 31 2
Barcelona 2024–25 La Liga 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
2025–26 La Liga 22 2 4 2 6b 1 1c 0 33 5
Total 25 2 4 2 6 1 1 0 36 5
Career total 52 4 4 2 6 1 5 0 67 7
  1. Appearances in Primera Federación play-offs
  2. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  3. Appearance in Supercopa de España

International

As of match played 4 June 202627
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 2026 1 0
Total 1 0

Honours

Barcelona

References

References

  1. "Barça's New Star: Marc Bernal, the Rising Talent". Mundo Deportivo. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  2. Langa, Pol (29 September 2025). "Marc Bernal (18) es blaugrana: Así es la familia del canterano recién renovado con el FC Barcelona". Diario Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  3. Barreto, Javier Tubío (21 November 2024). "¿Quiénes son los padres de Marc Bernal? Te contamos todo sobre su familia". Confidencial Digital (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  4. Kannan, Pranav (7 March 2026). "Lamine, Cubarsi and Bernal: Barcelona's La Masia class of 2007 taking over Camp Nou". Barca Universal. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  5. "Young player debuts". www.fcbarcelona.com. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  6. "Marc Bernal, la promesa de Berga que despunta al Barça". 13 August 2023.
  7. "Marc Bernal, la perla de La Masia que ya derriba la puerta con 16 años". Mundo Deportivo. 23 October 2023.
  8. "Saiba quem é a joia que está enchendo o Barcelona de esperança para o futuro". 23 June 2023.
  9. Pérez, Daniel Íñiguez (28 August 2023). "Logroñés 1-0 Barça Atlètic: Gol en Las Gaunas y primeros 3 puntos". Muy de Fútbol. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  10. "Is Marc Bernal the next La Masia player ready to break into Barça's first team?". sport. 24 October 2023.
  11. "Young player debuts". FC Barcelona. 17 August 2024.
  12. "Marc Bernal injury news". FC Barcelona. 28 August 2024.
  13. "Adjustment to Marc Bernal's contract". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  14. "Marc Bernal returns with an assist after 383 days". FC Barcelona. 14 September 2025.
  15. "Marc Bernal extends contract to 2029". FC Barcelona. 29 September 2025.
  16. "FC Barcelona 3-0 Mallorca: Rock solid". www.fcbarcelona.com. 7 February 2026.
  17. "Barça overpower Newcastle but leaky defense could be their undoing". ESPN. 18 March 2026.
  18. "OFICIAL | Cambio en la lista de convocados para las jornadas de entrenamiento en la Ciudad del Fútbol | www.rfef.es". Web oficial de la Real Federación Española de Fútbol.
  19. "OFICIAL | Convocatoria sub-18 para los entrenamientos de Alfaz del Pi (Alicante) | www.rfef.es". Web oficial de la Real Federación Española de Fútbol. 22 August 2023.
  20. "Mundial Sub-17 2023 | Marc Bernal: el 'elegido' quiere dar el golpe en Indonesia". sport. 1 November 2023.
  21. "OFICIAL | La lista definitiva de la Selección sub-17 para el Europeo". RFEF.ES. 17 May 2024.
  22. "Catalonia-Palestine: Highlights, goals and result of the friendly match - Today". Eurosport. 18 November 2025. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  23. "Debut de Marc Bernal con la selección española". www.fcbarcelona.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  24. Plaza, Guillermo Gutierrez (5 October 2023). "Marc Bernal, el arte de recibir perfilado".
  25. Cervelló Herrero, Laia (12 August 2025). "Barcelona's breakout star for 2025-26: Marc Bernal looking to put 346 days of injury hell behind him". The Athletic.
  26. Marc Bernal at Soccerway. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  27. "Bernal, Marc". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  28. "Barcelona Win La Liga, Complete 2024-25 Domestic Treble". SI. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  29. "Barcelona Clinch 29th La Liga Title in Dominant El Clasico". SI. 10 May 2026. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  30. "Barcelona vs Real Madrid Highlights, El Clasico Supercopa Final: Barcelona Beat Real Madrid 3-2 In Thriller, Clinch 1st Trophy Of Season". NDTV. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
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