After enjoying a breakthrough campaign in Germany, the full-back is eager to showcase his progress on the international scene.
Juan Bernat is hopeful he can play a key role in winning eras for Bayern Munich and Spain, as he gears up for his country’s upcoming tests against Costa Rica and Belarus.
The 22-year-old had been a relative unknown outside his native Spain before last summer’s €10 million move to Bayern Munich, but proved a revelation as he established himself in Pep Guardiola’s plans.
His fine form also saw him receive his first senior cap for la Roja in October, and now says his first piece of career silverware in Bayern’s Bundesliga triumph has whet his appetite for more success on every front.
“It’s true that I’m very young at 22,” Bernat told Marca. “It’s also true what they say, a career in football is over quickly, but I want to try to win as many trophies as possible.
“I only won the Bundesliga this season, which was my first piece of silverware as a professional. Hopefully, next year we can contest some finals.”
Bernat enjoyed a speedy adaptation to German football given the sizeable Spanish contingent there, and revealed advice from team-mates such as Xabi Alonso and Pepe Reina were crucial to him making the next step in his Spain career.
“They’ve told me to enjoy it to the max because it’s a really great experience. They’ve said that it’s not easy to get here [the international set-up] and that I should try to seize every moment.
“Thiago [Alcantara] was another who’s really helped me to integrate into the group at Bayern. Since he’s come back [from injury] he’s been performing at an extremely high level and he looks in very good shape.”
Bernat has enjoyed the opportunity to work with coaches such as Guardiola and Vicente del Bosque, but refrained from stating that he preferred one trainer’s methods over the other’s.
“Every coach has their quirks. You could say Pep is more approachable, but I haven’t had that many call-ups to the national team,” the left-back explained. “I don’t especially like comparing them anyway.
“Del Bosque likes to play a 4-3-3 and Guardiola has used that system before too, although on occasions he’s opted for three centre-backs and two wing-backs.
“Honestly, though, I can adapt to any system.”