Atlético Ottawa keeps adding to its roster this off-season, announcing on Thursday the re-signing of Ghanaian winger Osah Bernardinho for the 2021 CPL season.

Bernardinho, 24, originally signed with Atlético last April but he was unable to join the club due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are looking forward to finally have Bernardinho able to join the club in 2021. It is unfortunate he was not able to travel and be part of our roster in 2020, but we look forward to count with his athletic abilities, vision and strong offensive game as part of our club,” Atlético Ottawa CEO Fernando Lopez said in a media release.

Ottawa coach Mista described the Ghanaian as a winger who “plays with a lot of pace” and “has a strong technical game.”

“He is ideal for the type of game we are going to employ. I think he will mesh perfectly into our team and game-plan,” Mista offered.

RELATED READING: CPL off-season roster tracker – Who’s in and who’s out for 2021?

Having first played in youth academies and with pro club Accra Great Olympics in his native Ghana, Bernardinho signed with Westerlo in Belgium’s second division in 2017 after going on a trial with Dutch club Willem II earlier that same year.

He made 16 appearances in his first season with Westerlo, scoring once in a Belgian Cup match.

The following year he went on loan with third-division side ASV Geel, and it was there that he began to come into his own by scoring six goals in 29 league appearances.

In the summer of 2019, Bernardinho was on the move again, this time another loan deal with Heist in Belgium’s third tier. He ended up scoring a pair of goals in 14 appearances.

Earlier this week, Ottawa announced the re-signing of Jamaican midfielder Tevin Shaw, who like Bernardinho signed with Atlético last year but was unable to join the team for The Island Games in PEI due to travel restrictions.

Bernardinho is the ninth player confirmed for Atlético Ottawa’s 2021 roster, a list that includes fellow internationals Shaw and Vashon Neufville, as well as Canadians Antoine Coupland and Ben McKendry.

Ottawa also selected a pair of young prospects at the recent CPL-U SPORTS Draft, with Cristopher Malekos and Reggie Laryea earning invites to pre-season training camp.