Bernard to Shakhtar Donetsk: Miners Sign Atletico Mineiro Star for €25 Million

Brazilian winger Bernard has officially been signed by Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, according to the club's official website on Thursday.

According to Shakhtar.com, Bernard and the Miners agreed to a five-year deal after Shakhtar and the player's former club, Brazil's Atletico Mineiro settled on a transfer fee of €25 million.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise as both Arsenal and Porto had been linked to Bernard earlier this summer. 

A 20-year-old winger, Bernard has starred for Atletico in each of the past three seasons since being loaned out to Democrata in 2010. Bernard excelled in his first professional season with Democrata, scoring 14 goals in 16 appearances. 

He would struggle after joining Atletico in 2011, going goal-less in 28 appearances in all competitions. 

Bernard proved his impressive 2010 campaign on loan was no fluke a year later, though, bouncing back in a big way in 2012. He netted 15 goals in 47 matches for Atletico in his final season as a teenager.

He had scored seven goals in 25 appearances for the club in 2013 prior to his transfer. 

Shakhtar supporters can expect the club's newest addition to bring plenty of excitement and pace to the game when he's on the pitch. Bernard is known for his quickness and his overall energy. And at 5'5", he's forced to rely on those attributes in order to succeed.  

Although Bernard will have to adjust to life overseas and European football, he shouldn't feel too far away from home when he joins Shakhtar, which features a plethora of Brazilian players, including Fred, Maicon and Luiz Adriano.

Bernard has already formed relationships with some of Brazil's top players having made five appearances for the senior national team since 2011.