Football is brutal. One day you are the crown jewel of La Masia, the next you are staring at a ruined knee and a 345-day sentence in the rehab room. That was Marc Bernal’s reality. Just as the hype train was leaving the station, his body betrayed him.
This season was a crawl. The goal was simple: find the rhythm, forget the pain. He mostly delivered, despite a brief scare around the Atletico Madrid Champions League clash. But Hansi Flick does not do slow burns. The German manager threw Bernal straight into the fire, playing him in all five matches after his medical green light. He started the last three. He ran until his lungs burned. With Gavi returning, the midfield is a shark tank. Yet, Flick’s actions scream that Bernal is safe. For now.
Then came the nod from the national team. Luis de la Fuente did not give him a ticket to the World Cup. Not yet. Instead, he got a consolation prize: a spot in the support group training camp until June 4th. It is a carrot on a stick. Bernal gets to smell the grass, run with the big boys, and taste what could be. De la Fuente is watching.
It is a massive psychological boost for a kid who recently forgot what a football felt like. Two managers, two massive votes of confidence. The hype is back. Now he just has to stay in one piece.
