Paulo Bernardo Gonçalves Bernardo, or simply Paulo Bernardo as he is often known, was born on 24 January 2002 in Portugal and is best recognised for his career as a central midfielder. He transferred to Celtic FC, where he holds the number 28 jersey. Standing at 5ft 10 inches (1.8m) and weighing 12st 1lb (77kg), Paulo Bernardo has also been acknowledged on the international stage, earning caps for the Portugal U21 national team.
In terms of market value, Paulo Bernardo is currently valued around £3.4m according to Transfermarkt.
His journey into professional football started at Benfica in the Liga Portugal, where he joined as a trainee in July 2010. His debut season (2021 - 2022) saw him make a commendable 17 first team appearances in league matches. In January 2023, he was loaned to Paços de Ferreira in the Liga Portugal 2, where he further enhanced his career, notching up 13 first team appearances and scoring his first professional goals, two in total.
In September 2023, Paulo Bernardo transferred from Benfica to Celtic FC in the Scottish Premiership on loan. During his loan spell for the 2023 - 2024 season, Paulo Bernardo made a strong impression, earning 22 first team appearances and adding three goals to his tally. In the following season (2024 - 2025), Bernardo continued to be a regular feature in the Celtic squad, making 28 first team appearances and scoring a further two goals. His current season (2025 - 2026) has seen him already make seven first team appearances.
Paulo Bernardo's successful loan spell led to Celtic FC securing a permanent transfer from Benfica for around £3.5m in August 2024. Since then, Paulo Bernardo has become a prominent figure for Celtic FC, replicating his consistent performances from the loan spell.
On top of his league appearances, Paulo Bernardo has also taken part in several cup fixtures and competitions. He made two appearances as a substitute in the League Cup (2025 - 2026) for Celtic, two starts in the Scottish Cup (2025 - 2026) for Celtic, and participated in the UEFA U21 Qualifiers in 2025 for Portugal U21 where he managed to score a goal in four starts. In the Europa League (2025 - 2026), he made five appearances as a substitute in addition to two starts.
