MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact announced on Sunday that the club has signed Argentine central midfielder Hernán Bernardello. He will be added to the roster upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and pending his medical exam.

Bernardello, 29, is returning to Montreal after playing the second half of the 2013 season and the first half of the 2014 season here, appearing in 18 regular season games for 1,470 minutes, all starts. He also started the Bleu-blanc-noir’s Eastern Conference Knockout Round game in the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs. He then helped the Impact win the 2014 Canadian Championship, recording one assist in four games, including three starts. He also registered one assist in two CONCACAF Champions League games, which included one start.

“We are very happy to have come to terms with Hernán and to bring him back with the Impact,” said Impact technical director Adam Braz. “We wanted to add this central midfield profile to our roster. He meets our needs.”

Over his career, Bernardello has also played a total of 125 games in the Argentine first division, 68 games in La Liga, 45 games in the Spanish second division, nine games in the Copa del Rey and eight games in the Mexican first division.

More recently, in 2016, Bernardello helped Spanish second division side Deportivo Alavés to a first-place finish and a promotion to La Liga, scoring one goal in 13 games, including nine starts, after joining the team in January.

Following his stay in Montreal in 2014, Bernardello joined Liga MX club Cruz Azul, where he appeared in eight Apertura games, including seven starts. He also started three CONCACAF Champions League group stage games and then started in the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup semifinal against renowned Spanish club Real Madrid in Morocco.

Bernardello spent the 2015 season in the Argentine first division with childhood club Newell’s Old Boys following a loan from Cruz Azul in January 2015. He played 18 games and 1,305 minutes in his fifth Primera División season.

Originally from Rosario, he made his professional debut in 2006 with Newell’s, playing his first three seasons in the Argentine first division. He then signed with UD Almería in 2009 and played in Andalucia until 2012.

He was then loaned to Argentine club Atlético Colón, scoring one goal in 25 games while also appearing in one Copa Argentina game and one Copa Sudamericana game.

On the international scene, he played one game with the Argentine national team, on May 20, 2009, against Panama.

Transaction: Montreal Impact signs midfielder Hernán Bernardello on July 24, 2016.

HERNÁN BERNARDELLO

Position: Midfielder

Height: 5’9”

Weight: 165 lbs

Date of Birth: August 3, 1986, Rosario, Argentina

Hometown: Rosario, Argentina

Nationality: Argentina

Last club: Deportivo Alavés (Spain)

Number: 30

Acquisition: July 24, 2016