Paulo Bernardo is a Portuguese centre midfielder, born in Almada on 24 January 2002 (age 24), who joined Celtic from Benfica in September 2023. He wears the number 28 and has become far more than a passing squad option. Celtic is where his senior career has properly taken shape.
His first season in Glasgow gave a fair indication of the player: tidy, mobile, and more useful than noisy. In 2023-2024 he made 22 league appearances and scored three times, still his most productive league campaign. Across three seasons he has reached 58 league appearances for Celtic, with five goals.
Bernardo was part of the Celtic side that won the Premiership and League Cup in 2024-2025, and he has also collected a Scottish Cup medal. That is not a bad early return for a midfielder still working through the harder business of becoming a nailed-on starter at a club where midfield places are rarely handed out as acts of charity.
In 2025-2026 he has remained involved in the first-team picture, making 24 appearances across all competitions and scoring once. His league return stands at eight appearances without a goal, alongside cup football and seven Europa League outings. His form has been solid enough, though he has been out of the matchday squad in recent weeks, with his last appearance coming in the 3-1 win over Motherwell on 14 March 2026.
His current market value is around £3.5m, according to Transfermarkt. At this stage, Bernardo’s career is still developing, but its shape is clear enough: Benfica gave him the platform, Celtic gave him the stage, and he remains a relevant part of the squad rather than a name from the fringes.
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