Paulo Bernardo (footballer)

Paulo Bernardo
Bernardo with Benfica in 2020
Personal information
Full name Paulo Guilherme Gonçalvés Bernardo
Date of birth (2002-01-24) 24 January 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth Almada, Portugal
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
Celtic
Number 28
Youth career
2010–2022 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2024 Benfica B 38 (7)
2021–2024 Benfica 17 (0)
2023Paços de Ferreira (loan) 13 (2)
2023–2024Celtic (loan) 22 (3)
2024– Celtic 15 (2)
International career
2017 Portugal U15 5 (1)
2017–2018 Portugal U16 11 (0)
2018–2019 Portugal U17 19 (4)
2019 Portugal U19 5 (1)
2021– Portugal U21 28 (10)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:47, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:37, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Paulo Guilherme Gonçalves Bernardo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpawlu βɨɾˈnaɾðu]; born 24 January 2002) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic[2]

Club career

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Early career

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A product of S.L. Benfica's youth system, Bernardo played for its ranks and signed his first professional contract with Benfica on 26 February 2018.[3] He made his debut for Benfica's reserve team in a Segunda Liga match against Vilafranquense on 2 February 2020, with manager Renato Paiva praising him as one of the "future stars of the club".[4]

Benfica

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After a promising 2020–21 season with the B team, Bernardo started the 2021–22 season, with various solid performances, leading him to be named Liga Portugal 2's Midfielder of the Month for the months of October and November.[5] On 2 November 2021, Bernardo made his first-team debut coming on the 77th minute in a 5-2 Champions League group stage defeat at Bayern Munich.[6] Later that week, on 7 November 2021, he made his Primeira Liga debut coming on for injured João Mário on the 23rd minute for a 6–1 home win against Braga.[7]

On 31 January 2023, Bernardo was loaned by Paços de Ferreira until the end of the season.[8] On 6 March 2023, Bernardo scored his first goal for Paços de Ferreira in a 2-1 loss against Casa Pia.[9]

Celtic

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On 1 September 2023, Scottish Premiership club Celtic announced the signing of Bernardo on a season-long loan with an option to buy.[10] On 27thDecember 2023, Bernardo scored his first goal for Celtic in a 0-3 victory over Dundee.

On 1 August 2024, Bernardo returned to Celtic on a permanent transfer, signing a five-year contract.

International career

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With the Portugal under-17s, Bernardo took participated in the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Ireland, playing four matches, scoring one goal as the team lost in the quarter-finals to Italy.[11]

On 6 September 2021, Bernardo won his first cap for the under-21 side, replacing André Almeida in the 73rd minute in a 1–0 victory against Belarus for the 2023 European Championship qualification campaign.[12]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 22 December 2024[13][14]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Benfica B 2019–20 Liga Portugal 2 2 0 2 0
2020–21 17 4 17 4
2021–22 10 2 10 2
2022–23 9 1 9 1
Total 38 7 38 7
Benfica 2021–22 Primeira Liga 17 0 2 0 5[a] 0 24 0
2022–23 0 0 0 0 1 0 1[a] 0 2 0
Total 17 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 26 0
Paços de Ferreira (loan) 2022–23 Primeira Liga 13 2 13 2
Celtic (loan) 2023–24 Scottish Premiership 22 3 5 1 0 0 6[a] 0 33 4
Celtic 2024–25 Scottish Premiership 15 2 0 0 4 1 6[a] 0 25 3
Total 37 5 5 1 4 1 12 0 58 7
Career total 105 14 5 1 8 1 18 0 135 16
Notes
  1. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League

Honours

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Celtic

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Paulo Bernardo". S.L. Benfica. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Acordo fechado: Paulo Bernardo vai jogar no Celtic a título definitivo". www.record.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Benfica assina com cinco jovens, entre eles um avançado "com grande futuro"" [Benfica signs with five youngsters, including a striker "with great future"]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 26 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Renato Paiva aponta futuro cracks 'made in Seixal':"Paulo Bernardo é o próximo génio"". www.record.pt (in Portuguese). 10 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Paulo Bernardo eleito o melhor médio da Segunda Liga nos meses de outubro e novembro" [Paulo Bernardo voted Segunda Liga's best midfielder for the months of October and November]. zerozero.pt (in Portuguese). 14 December 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Paulo Bernardo: "O mister depositou muita confiança em mim"" [Paulo Bernardo: «The coach put a lot of trust in me»]. maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 2 November 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Gverreiros comidos de cebolada" [Gverreiros defeated by cebolada]. zerozero.pt (in Portuguese). 7 November 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  8. ^ "PAULO BERNARDO ASSINA PELO FC PAÇOS DE FERREIRA" [Paulo Bernardo signs with Paços de Ferreira] (in Portuguese). F.C. Paços de Ferreira. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Casa Pia 2-1 Paços de Ferreira (6 Mar, 2023) Final Score". ESPN. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Paulo Bernardo joins from Benfica on season-long loan". Celtic F.C. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Portugal vs. Italy".
  12. ^ "Portugal vs. Belarus".
  13. ^ Paulo Bernardo at Soccerway. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  14. ^ Paulo Bernardo at ForaDeJogo (archived)
  15. ^ "Celtic thrash Kilmarnock to clinch 54th Scottish title". Reuters. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  16. ^ "Celtic leave it late to beat Rangers and win Scottish Cup". Reuters. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  17. ^ "Celtic 3–3 Rangers: Line-ups". BBC Sport. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
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