Marc Bernal is Back, But Be Patient

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·14 September 2025

Marc Bernal is Back, But Be Patient

Patience, Culers

When it comes to Marc Bernal, patience will be key. Patience would be necessary if he wasn’t 18-years-old. It would be required if he hadn’t just gotten the medical green light after 382 days on the sideline due to a devastating ACL injury last fall. It would be required if the 1.91m (6’3″) midfielder wasn’t drawing physical and stylistic comparisons to a legend like Sergio Busquets. For Marc Bernal, it’s all those reasons adding up to require the greatest amount of patience from Culers.

And yet, some many Culers are asking – what if the teenager midfielder is able to give something in a pivot role this season? It may take awhile for him to play 90 minutes, but what if he’s just as good as he was in the three games last season before he went down? Naturally left-footed, Marc Bernal can play a ball with either foot at a high level, helping him to be extremely press-resistant. Against Valencia, Athletic Club, and Rayo Vallecano, he started all three matches. Barcelona also won all three matches 2-1, in games that required some composure down the stretch. Across three matches, Bernal was dispossessed just two times. The fact that the ACL injury occurred in stoppage time against Rayo, when the match was all but won, stung even more.

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Tempered Expectations

So what can Culers expect from Marc Bernal this season? It shouldn’t depend on the health of the other midfielders, but it might. If Gavi and Frenkie de Jong were healthy, the expectations would be that Marc Casado would the fourth midfielder to help close out games. Bernal would merely get some closing minutes to get his legs slowly back under him. Yet, Gavi could be out for four to six weeks if they opt for surgery and Frenkie de Jong is coming back from the international break with discomfort. Pedri and Marc Casado have also had their own histories of pesky injuries. Midfield depth could quickly get thin and Bernal, if he’s actually fully healthy, could get more run than expected.

Thiago Alcantara Returns

The return of Thiago Alcantara to the Barcelona dressing room could also be huge for the youngster. Marc Bernal was chosen by Hansi Flick to start last season over Casado, and after Bernal went down Casado grabbed the spot. Thiago was credited with being an important voice in Casado’s ear, and this season he could do the same for Bernal. Bernal may be 18; Thiago himself is only 34. He returns to Catalonia after spells at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool, doing an absurd amount of winning wherever he went. He’s learned from the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp, and now he’s working with Hansi Flick. A pretty good coaching trio.

Hansi Flick’s Warning

After Bernal asked to play in the Joan Gamper Trophy match against Como 1907, Hansi Flick reportedly told the midfield prodigy that he wanted him for 15 years, not one game. Culers should heed that warning with their Bernal expectations as well. He could prove to be healthy and look like himself from the jump, but more likely, this season will be the one where he finds his legs again, giving Culers rare reminders of what they had and what’s to come.

Gavi is the cautionary tale that the road back isn’t always easy. Ansu Fati is more than a cautionary tale. Sergi Samper. Oriol Busquets. Culers are accustomed to the hope at the pivot position, only to be disappointed by repeated injuries and unsatisfied potential. It’s almost unfair that La Masia has produced Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, and Marc Bernal all from the same age group, plus 18-year old Jofre Torrents. Then there are the talents around them who are slightly older (Gavi, Alejandro Balde) and the next generation who are barely a few months younger (Dro Fernandez, Toni Fernandez, Guille Fernandez). The fact that Bernal is the one who could be as essential as Lamine Yamal and Cubarsi says a lot about the promise he has shown over his time in the academy.

Playing with Barça Atlétic as a 16-year-old starter (alongside Casado no-less) all could see what was possible. He played primarily as an 8 in front of Casado that season, but the potential was there. To look as natural in the pivot as he did with the first team is nothing short of incredible. Which is why the expectations are what they are. With Marc Bernal, incredible is still possible, but it may require some patience.