The 30-year-old striker said of his move: “I’m excited because last year we were near to a deal for me to come and play here.
“In the end I decided to remain in Italy to force my way into the squad for the World Cup, so it was best at that time to stay in Italy.”
Bernardo missed out on the now victorious Azzuri squad, but having moved back to Italy last season he posted 10 goals in 35 starts while on-loan at Parma.
“I had a good season at Parma and now I’ve decided to come here because one of the dreams of my life since I was 14 was to play in the Premiership.
“And now I can do that thanks to Mr Stuart Pearce. He called me and told me that he wanted me to be a player of his team.
“I’m here, I am happy and I hope that everything will be ok.
So what are Bernardo’s early impressions of the Club and what life will be like with the Blues?
“It is something that cannot be found in Italy, because when you arrive in Manchester and at the Club, you can smell the atmosphere.
“And with the fans being so close to the pitch I cannot wait to play a match at home just because of the crowd. It is something I am not used to from playing with Lazio.
“There is a different mentality to going to football here. Everyone goes to the stadium to support the team until the end of the match. In Italy it’s quite different and I’m really looking forward to that.
“It’s normal that first I need to know all there is about the Premier League, my team and the opposition. I want to learn that as soon as possible and how to behave in the Premiership.”
The mention of ‘how to behave’ led on to his exuberant goal celebrations, so will we see any of those for City?
“I think after a few days I hope to be in contact with the team and decide to do something special!
“Obviously, I hope to score a lot of goals for City and I am here to do well.”
