Oporto Sports is delighted to announce that we will be representing current Macarthur Bulls assistant head coach, Bruno Berner.
Berner’s coaching career began in Switzerland in 2012 with a three-year spell with FC Zurich, working across their academy from U13s through to U21s. After a brief period working in marketing and leadership, Bruno was named as manager of FC Tuggen in the Swiss third tier, and then moved to SC Kriens, winning the title and promotion to the Swiss Challenge League in his first season.
Berner kept Kriens in the second tier for three consecutive seasons, reaching the Swiss Cup quarter-finals on two occasions, achievements made all the more remarkable as they were the only semi-professional side at that level.
In 2021 he joined the Swiss FA, managing their U19s and U20s sides, before his first taste of the Swiss Super League in the 2022/23 season, keeping newly-promoted FC Winterthur in the top flight. This success led to an opportunity to join Grasshopper Club Zurich, his boyhood team, as head coach for the 2023/24 season, and he was on course to retain their Super League status until a takeover and change of Chairman and Sporting Director resulted in Bruno’s departure.
Last summer, Bruno joined A-League side Macarthur Bulls as their assistant head coach, with the club reaching the last 16 of the Asian Champions League 2 this season.
Bruno also enjoyed a successful playing career beginning with Grasshopper Club Zurich, where he won the Swiss title twice, before winning promotion to the Bundesliga with Freiburg, and a return to Switzerland with FC Basel. He ended his playing career in England with spells at Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City, where he won the League 1 title and reached the Championship play-offs. He was capped 16 times by the Swiss national team, and was named as part of their 2004 UEFA European Championship squad.
Speaking about the announcement, Oporto director Dean Eldredge said: “Bruno is one of the most professional and inspiring people I have worked with, and his communication and leadership skills are well-matched with his abilities as both a coach and as a manager.
“He has achieved great success as a player, working with names including Roy Hodgson, Mark Hughes, Nigel Pearson, Paulo Sousa and Sven-Göran Eriksson, and as a manager he has shown his own qualities with his clubs regularly out-performing their budget and expectations.
“Bruno’s career has seen him work in Switzerland, Germany, England and Australia, and he remains committed to learning on his coaching journey. We are delighted to be supporting him as his agents, building on the media work we have done together, and look forward to his next steps in the game.”
For all enquiries for Bruno Berner, please email dean@oportosports.com
