by Royalcop »
13 Apr 2007 19:18
More on Andy Bernal from Sydney Morning Herald:
Former Sydney Olympic player Andy Bernal quickly learnt how the other half lives, writes Matthew Hall.
ANDY Bernal knows exactly what Hollywood can expect when David Beckham arrives in town this year. He was in the middle of the cyclone when Beckham joined Real Madrid from Manchester United amid as much fanfare in 2003.
A former Socceroo who played for National Soccer League side Sydney Olympic, as well as English clubs Reading and Ipswich Town during the 1990s, Bernal was employed by management company SFX as Beckham's personal assistant during his first three months in Madrid.
"It was madness," Bernal, 40, said of Beckham's Spanish baptism.
Hired for his fluent Spanish, Bernal was by Beckham's side as friendships bloomed not just with Brazilian Galacticos Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos but also with Bernal's now infamous colleague Rebecca Loos.
Bernal says the relationship between Beckham and Loos was blurred from day one, when SFX struggled to find an office from which to run the superstar's Spanish affairs.
Bernal and Loos had to use internet cafes as makeshift headquarters before Loos's father offered space in a spare room at his Madrid home.
"We went from using Yahoo! email addresses to running Beckham's business while sitting beside Rebecca's parents' swimming pool," Bernal said.
"Rebecca would be in her bikini by the pool, David would lie in the sun, and I would try to connect to the broadband internet connection."
Beckham's idyllic lifestyle was soon interrupted by intense scrutiny from paparazzi, whirlwind visits to Madrid by wife Victoria, and a birthday party for Ronaldo.
Ronaldo's party was Beckham's debut on the Madrid social scene.
Bernal played wingman at a bash attended by superstar teammates Zinedine Zidane, Raul and Luis Figo.
As well as footballers, the guest list included top models, including Spaniard Esther Canadas, whom local gossip columnists would later romantically link with Beckham.
"There was a World XI of footballers, a World XI of models and then me, a former Sydney Olympic player," Bernal said.
Paparazzi and potential kidnap threats - it was feared that the Basque separatist group ETA would target the Madrid star - were a constant distraction for Beckham's management in Spain and Bernal turned to Cuban President Fidel Castro's former bodyguard Delfin Fernandez, who worked for Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, to head Beckham's security detail. Fernandez had recently defected to Spain.
"I looked at Delfin's CV and did the maths," Bernal said. "Over 20 years service, many assassination attempts on Castro, but zero success. Fernandez was good. Very good."
But the person Fernandez failed to keep away from Beckham was Loos.
Bernal noticed the couple's relationship had crossed the line from professional to personal after a photo shoot for a sponsor.
A celebratory dinner with a group that included a close friend of Victoria ended at a nightclub where photos were secretly taken of Beckham and Loos together. The pictures were later published in British newspapers.
The group left the nightclub in two separate cars: Beckham and Loos speeding ahead in one vehicle driven by Fernandez and another carrying Bernal and the rest of the party.
Bernal recalls that Fernandez called him on a walkie-talkie with a message: "The Spider has The Eagle in her web."
During his time with Beckham, Bernal's other duties included feeding his pet terrapins when he was away with the England national team and driving the player as he took phone calls from Elton John.
Bernal's time with Beckham ended when the player dramatically decided not to renew his management contract with SFX, instead joining his wife's management company.
Bernal, who has since worked for Football Federation Australia as a scout in South America during the Socceroos' successful World Cup qualifying campaign, said he would never forget the words Victoria used to explain his job no longer existed.
"Andy, we all have mortgages to pay," the former pop singer said. "We've all got to do what we've all got to do."
Bernal said of Beckham's $US250 million ($320m) move to Los Angeles: "She doesn't have to worry too much about her mortgage any more."