Rebeca Bernal

Rebeca Bernal
Bernal with the Washington Spirit in 2026
Personal information
Full name Rebeca Bernal Rodríguez
Date of birth (1997-08-31) 31 August 1997 (age 29)
Place of birth Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Positions
Team information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 16
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2025 Monterrey 274 (66)
2025–2026 Washington Spirit 44 (3)
2026– Manchester United 4 (0)
International career‡
2014–2015 Mexico U-17
2015–2016 Mexico U-20
2016– Mexico 82 (10)
Medal record
Women's football
Representing  Mexico
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place2023 SantiagoTeam
Central American and Caribbean Games
Gold medal – first place2023 San Salvador
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18 October 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 13 October 2026

Rebeca Bernal Rodríguez (born 31 August 1997), is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre back for Women's Super League team Manchester United and captains the Mexico women's national team.

Early life

Bernal joined Escuela de Futbol Cruz Azul in Ciudad Madero, where she was the only girl, around the age of seven. When she was 14, she moved to Monterrey to study psychology at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education.

Club career

Bernal joined CF Monterrey at the formation of Liga MX Femenil in the Apertura 2017.

She joined NWSL club Washington Spirit on 25 February 2025, signing a three-year deal in exchange for an undisclosed transfer fee. She won a trophy on her debut for the Spirit on 7 March, defeating the Orlando Pride on penalties in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup. Bernal converted her penalty kick in the shootout.

On 2 September 2026, Bernal signed for English Women's Super League club Manchester United, signing a three-year contract for a reported fee of £300,000. She was the first Mexican player to feature in the WSL.

International career

Bernal played for Mexico at youth level at the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She made her senior debut on 8 July 2017, starting in a 1–0 friendly loss to Sweden.

Bernal was selected to represent Mexico at the 2023 Pan American Games held in Santiago, Chile, where the Mexican squad went undefeated to win the gold medal for the first time in their history at the Pan American Games, defeating Chile 1–0. Bernal scored Mexico's winning goal.

International career

As of match played 13 October 2026
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Mexico 201710
201860
202010
2021111
202282
2023112
2024142
202591
202682
Total7010

International goals

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.20 February 2021Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico Costa Rica3–13–1Friendly
2.17 February 2022Estadio Universitario, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico Suriname6–09–02022 CONCACAF W Championship qualification
3.20 February 2022Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez, Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Antigua and Barbuda2–08–0
4.25 October 2023Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile Chile1–13–12023 Pan American Games
5.3 November 2023Estadio Elías Figueroa Brander, Valparaíso, Chile Chile1–01–0
6.23 February 2024Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, United States Dominican Republic5–08–02024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
7.30 November 2024Estadio Andrés Quintana Roo, Cancún, Mexico Costa Rica3–14–1Friendly
8.5 April 2025CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, United States Jamaica3–03–0
9.2 March 2026Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia Saint Lucia1–07–02026 CONCACAF W Championship qualification
10.9 October 2026Estadio Victoria, Aguascalientes, Mexico Jamaica2–33–4Friendly

Honors

Washington Spirit

Mexico U17

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Rebeca Bernal Rodríguez". Liga MX Femenil (in Spanish). Liga MX Femenil. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  2. 1 2 Durán, Víctor Hugo (2023-11-04). "Rebeca Bernal, de Tampico a ser la heroína del futbol mexicano femenil en Santiago 2023". Milenio (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  3. ↑ Elgueta, José (2017-10-11). "Rebeca Bernal, la Capitana Rayada". Multimedios (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  4. ↑ Spirit, Washington (2025-02-25). "Washington Spirit Signs Star Mexican Defender Rebeca Bernal". Washington Spirit. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
  5. 1 2 "Recap: Short-Handed Spirit Wins 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup". Washington Spirit. 2025-03-08. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
  6. ↑ Sanders, Emma (2 September 2026). "Man Utd sign Bernal from Washington Spirit". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "United Women sign Rebeca Bernal". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 2 September 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  8. ↑ Rebeca Bernal at Soccerway Edit this at Wikidata
  9. ↑ "Dam Landskamp Matchinformation: Sverige mot Mexiko 2017-07-08 (1–0) — svenskfotboll.se". svenskfotboll.se.
  10. ↑ "Mexico takes soccer gold with 1-0 win over Chile". Reuters. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  11. ↑ "Santiago 2023: Mexico beats shorthanded Chile for women's football gold". olympics.com. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  12. ↑ "Mexico – Rebeca Bernal".
  13. ↑ "Shaw, Leon, Ovalle head up W Gold Cup Best XI". CONCACAF. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.