Paulo Bernardo, a Portuguese international born on the 24th of January 2002, and now at the mature age of 23, serves Celtic zealously in the capacity of a central midfielder. Apportioned the jersey number 28 on the field, Paulo stands at a sturdy 5ft 10in (1.8m) whilst tipping the scales at 12st 1lb (77kg). As well as gracing the emerald field of Celtic Park, Bernardo has brought his talents to the bigger stage, serving as a representer of the U21 national team of his homeland.
Determined by Transfermarkt, Paulo's market value hits around €5.50m – or when translated to the more familiar currency of our shores, around £4.7 million. His bond with the bhoys of Glasgow ticks away with each match, currently standing with 4 years and 1 month left which is set to lapse as the calendars bob over the horizon of the 30th of June 2029.
The journey for Paulo began in the warmer climbs of Portugal, joining Benfica as a young trainee in the Liga Portugal in July 2010. His debut season in 2021 - 2022 saw him appear 17 times representing Benfica's first team in league matches. A brief sojourn in January 2023 took Paulo to Paços de Ferreira in the Liga Portugal 2, also in Portugal, where he scored two goals across 13 appearances in that season.
Feeling the pull from the north, Paulo then found himself travelling to Scotland to join Celtic on loan in September 2023. His first season sporting the green and white Hoops (2023 - 2024) witnessed Paulo make 22 first team appearances, with a commendable three-goal tally to boot. Currently, in the season of 2024- 2025, Paulo has trotted onto the field an impressive 28 times, this time netting the ball twice thus far. Our Portuguese prince's future with Celtic remains bright, with a whole other season at Paradise slated for 2025 - 2026.
Committing to Celtic more fully, Paulo transferred from Benfica to the boys in green, for a fee of roughly £3.5m in August 2024. To date, the seasons of 2023 - 2024 and 2024 - 2025 have seen Paulo make 50 first team appearances in total, managing to land the ball in the back of the net 5 times across those two seasons. But Paulo's skills have not been limited to the domestic league - he has joined the ranks for Celtic in the Champions League during 2023 - 2024 and 2024 - 2025, and contributed to the Scottish Cup 2024 - 2025 campaign. Beyond Celtic, Paulo has further reinforced his credentials internationally, scoring for his nation in the UEFA U21 Qualifiers in 2025.
