Gerardo Bruna
![]() Bruna in 2019 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Gerardo Alfredo Bruna Blanco | ||
Date of birth | 29 January 1991 | ||
Place of birth | Mendoza, Argentina | ||
Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Youth career | |||
2002–2007 | Real Madrid | ||
2007–2008 | Liverpool | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2008–2011 | Liverpool | 0 | (0) |
2011–2013 | Blackpool | 2 | (0) |
2013–2014 | Huesca | 17 | (1) |
2014 | Tranmere Rovers | 0 | (0) |
2014 | Whitehawk | 5 | (1) |
2015–2016 | Accrington Stanley | 9 | (0) |
2016–2018 | Ottawa Fury | 37 | (1) |
2016 | → Ottawa Fury Academy | 3 | (0) |
2019–2020 | Derry City | 33 | (1) |
2021 | Shelbourne | 0 | (0) |
2022–2023 | Dungannon Swifts | 20 | (1) |
International career‡ | |||
2008 | Spain U17 | 1 | (1) |
2009 | Argentina U20 | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9th June 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26th February 2012 |
Gerardo Alfredo Bruna Blanco[1] (born 29 January 1991) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.
He was on the books of Real Madrid and Liverpool as a teenager but never made a senior appearance for either club. He has spent most of his career in the lower leagues of England and Spain, moving frequently.
Born in Argentina and raised in Spain, Bruna first represented Spain at a youth international level, before switching to represent his native Argentina.
Club career
[edit]Youth career
[edit]Bruna spent five years in the youth set-up at Real Madrid from 2002 to 2007.[2]
In the summer of 2007 Bruna moved to England to sign for Liverpool, having been offered and turned down a professional contract by Real Madrid.[3]
"My father agreed with me that moving here would be a great opportunity. I already knew about Liverpool from the Champions League, the final we won and the final we lost. These games, as well as the Chelsea semi-finals, made a big impression on me." A left-footer with a talent for set pieces, he learnt his trade with the reserves, helping them to win the Premier Reserve League in 2007–08.[2]
Blackpool
[edit]Bruna joined Championship side Blackpool on a two-year deal, with an option for a further 12 months, on 17 July 2011.[4] He made his competitive debut as a substitute in the League Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on 11 August 2011.[5] He made his Football League debut in a 2–1 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest on 22 October, coming on as a late substitute.[6]
With four total appearances to his name, Bruna was released by Blackpool on 9 May 2013.[7]
Huesca
[edit]On 20 September 2013 Bruna joined SD Huesca, freshly relegated to Segunda División B.[8] He played 17 games for the Aragonese club, scoring one goal.
Tranmere Rovers
[edit]Bruna played in a number of pre-season friendlies for League Two club Tranmere Rovers in the summer of 2014, before picking up an injury.[9] He was then offered a one-month contract by the club.[10] He made his only appearance for the club as a substitute in a league cup match[11] but was not offered a long-term contract.
Whitehawk
[edit]Bruna signed a one-month contract with Whitehawk, who then played in England's 6th tier, with the option to extend by the club depending on performances.[12] The signing of Bruna was described as a "massive coup" as Bruna had previously played for clubs such as Real Madrid and Liverpool.[13] Bruna scored his first goal for Whitehawk in a 5–1 victory over Chelmsford City.[14]
Accrington Stanley
[edit]In January 2015, Bruna joined League Two club Accrington Stanley.[15] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 loss to Bury in the Football League Trophy on 1 September 2015.[16] On 18 January 2016, Bruna signed a pre-contract with Canadian club Ottawa Fury which would have him depart at the end of the season.[17]
Ottawa Fury
[edit]On 15 February 2016, Bruna was offered contracts with both Accrington and Ottawa; he decided to join Ottawa, for an undisclosed fee .[18]
Derry City
[edit]On 5 February 2019, Bruna signed with League of Ireland Premier Division side Derry City.[19] On 4 December 2020, Bruna announced his departure from the club after two seasons.[20]
Shelbourne
[edit]In February 2021, Bruna signed for Shelbourne ahead of their first season back in the League of Ireland First Division having been relegated 3 months previously.[21] He suffered an Anterior cruciate ligament injury before the season started, which kept him out of action for the entire season meaning he never played a competitive game for the club.[22]
Dungannon Swifts
[edit]In September 2022, he signed for NIFL Premiership club Dungannon Swifts.[23]
International career
[edit]Bruna has represented both Argentina and Spain at youth level.[2] In May 2008 he was a member of the Spain under-17 squad European Under-17 Football Championship in Turkey.[24] He made one appearance in the group stages as a second-half substitute in a 3–3 draw with France at the Mardan Sports Complex, Aksu, Antalya.[25] Bruna represented the Argentina national under-20 football team at the 2009 Toulon tournament.[26]
Personal life
[edit]His wife is from Liverpool.[27]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of 14 September 2022
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Blackpool | 2011–12[28] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
2012–13[29] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
Total | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |||
Huesca | 2013–14[30] | Segunda División B | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | |||
Tranmere Rovers | 2014–15[31] | League Two | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
Whitehawk | 2014–15[32] | Conference South | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | 6 | 1 | |||
Accrington Stanley | 2014–15[31] | League Two | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
2015–16[33] | League Two | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[b] | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||
Total | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 1 | ||
Ottawa Fury Academy | 2016 | PLSQ | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
Ottawa Fury | 2016[32] | NASL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
2017[32] | United Soccer League | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 1 | ||||
2018[32] | United Soccer League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
Total | 37 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 38 | 1 | |||||
Derry City | 2019[32] | League of Ireland Premier Division | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 29 | 2 | ||
2020[32] | League of Ireland Premier Division | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |||
Total | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 38 | 2 | |||
Shelbourne | 2021[32] | League of Ireland First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
Dungannon Swifts | 2022–23[32] | NIFL Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
Career total | 106 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 109 | 6 |
- ^ Appearance in FA Trophy
- ^ Appearance in Football League Trophy
- ^ Appearance in UEFA Europa League
References
[edit]- ^ "Premier League clubs submit squad lists". premierleague.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
- ^ a b c "Gerardo Alfredo Bruna Blanco". Liverpool F.C. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ Hodges, Vicki (15 November 2007). "Real Madrid slam Liverpool for Bruna signing". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ "Blackpool sign Liverpool's Bruna". BBC Sport. 18 July 2011.
- ^ "Sheffield Wednesday 0–0 Blackpool (4–2 penalties)". BBC Sport. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "Blackpool 1 – 2 Nott'm Forest". BBC Sport. 22 October 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ Thomas Ince & Matt Phillips: Blackpool take up one-year options; BBC Sport, 9 May 2013
- ^ Bruna, un lujo para la S.D. Huesca (Bruna, a luxury for S.D. Huesca); Aragón Digital, 20 September 2013 (in Spanish)
- ^ "Tranmere Rovers ready to offer short-term deal to Gerardo Bruna". Liverpool Echo. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ "Tranmere Rovers sign Gerardo Bruna and Matt Hill". BBC Sport. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ "Tranmere crash out of League Cup but take plenty of positives from defeat". Liverpool Echo. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ Espiga, Jon. "El ex del Liverpool, Gerardo Bruna, ficha por el Whitehawk".
- ^ "Impressive Capture for Hawks with Bruna Signing". Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- ^ "- Whitehawk FC". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ^ "Why Accrington Stanley's new signing turned down Real Madrid contract". Lancashire Telegraph. 3 February 2015.
- ^ "Accrington 1-2 Bury". BBC Sport. BBC. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- ^ "Former Liverpool Midfielder and Real Madrid Youth Product Joins Fury FC". ottawafuryfc.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ "Gerardo Bruna, l'énigmatique surdoué" (in French). Express Ottawa. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ^ "Derry sign former Liverpool and Real Madrid man Bruna". RTE. 5 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ "Derry City: Gerardo Bruna becomes latest player to leave the Candystripes". British Broadcasting Corporation. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ "Ex-Derry City midfielder Gerardo Bruna joins Shelbourne". 3 February 2021.
- ^ "Dublin weekend previews Airtricity League". 2 July 2021.
- ^ "Dungannon Swifts sign former Real Madrid and Liverpool player". Belfasttelegraph.
- ^ Tully, David (15 December 2009). "'The Boy Has Got Skills' – Liverpool's Gerardo Bruna". FootballFanCast.com. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ Mizrahi, Yakir (7 May 2008). "France and Spain share six goals". UEFA. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ "Festival International "Espoirs" de Toulon et du Var". www.festival-foot-espoirs.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Gerardo Bruna: From the Bernabeu to the Brandywell". BBC Sport. 15 August 2019.
- ^ "Games played by Gerardo Bruna in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- ^ "Games played by Gerardo Bruna in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- ^ "Games played by Gerardo Bruna - BD Futbol". BD Futbol. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Games played by Gerardo Bruna in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Games played by Gerardo Bruna - Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- ^ "Games played by Gerardo Bruna in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
External links
[edit]- Gerardo Bruna – UEFA competition record (archive)
- 1991 births
- Living people
- Men's association football midfielders
- Argentine men's footballers
- Spanish men's footballers
- Footballers from Mendoza, Argentina
- Argentine emigrants to Spain
- Argentine expatriate men's footballers
- Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Northern Ireland
- Spanish expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in England
- Argentine expatriate sportspeople in England
- Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada
- Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Canada
- Expatriate men's association footballers in Northern Ireland
- Liverpool F.C. players
- Blackpool F.C. players
- SD Huesca footballers
- Tranmere Rovers F.C. players
- Whitehawk F.C. players
- Accrington Stanley F.C. players
- Ottawa Fury FC players
- Derry City F.C. players
- Shelbourne F.C. players
- Dungannon Swifts F.C. players
- English Football League players
- National League (English football) players
- Segunda División B players
- North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players
- USL Championship players
- League of Ireland players
- NIFL Premiership players
- Argentina men's youth international footballers
- Spain men's youth international footballers
- Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Ireland
- Expatriate men's association footballers in the Republic of Ireland
- Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England
- Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Northern Ireland
- Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Ireland
- Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Canada