Paulo Bernardo, born in Almada on 24 January 2002 (age 24), came through in Portugal with Benfica before joining Celtic in September 2023. A central midfielder wearing squad number 28, he arrived with a decent technical education and enough edge to avoid looking ornamental in Scottish football.
His career has been shaped mainly at Celtic. Across three league seasons he has made 58 appearances and scored five goals, with his most productive campaign coming in 2023-24, when he scored three times in 22 league games. He has not always been the loudest presence in midfield, but he has generally looked like a player who understands the job rather than one waiting for the game to explain itself to him.
Bernardo has also picked up the sort of honours that make a Celtic spell more than a line on a CV. He has won two Premiership titles, the League Cup and the Scottish Cup with the club, and was also part of a Celtic side that finished as Scottish Cup runners-up.
He is currently a Celtic player on loan at Gornik Zabrze, where in 2026-27 he has made eight league appearances and 14 appearances in all competitions, scoring once. He has also featured in Conference League qualifiers and UEFA under-21 qualifiers, keeping him active while his longer-term place in Celtic’s midfield picture remains to be settled.
His market value is around £3m, according to Transfermarkt. Bernardo’s senior career is still developing, but the main chapter so far is clear enough: Benfica formed him, Celtic gave him his platform, and his next steps will decide how much more there is to come in Glasgow.
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