It has been a great start to the summer for Celtic midfielder Paulo Bernardo.
The 23-year-old is the captain of the Portugal U21s, as they aim to secure glory and win the European Championships in Slovakia.
It was a mixed season for Bernardo because, on the one hand, he helped Celtic win two trophies, but on the other hand, he was sidelined for a period of time, and he wasn’t a regular starter under Brendan Rodgers.
But now, Bernardo is earning the minutes, as the Portugal young guns thrashed their Georgian counterparts 4-0 on Tuesday evening.
That’s seven points from three opening games, as Portugal U21s topped Group C, and secured their passage into the knockout stages ahead of a star-studded French side.
How Paulo Bernardo rated as Portugal U21s beat Georgia U21s 4-0 at the 2025 European Championships
Bernardo has started all three games for the Portugal U21s, including being captain for two of those matches, as well as playing 81 minutes in the final group game.
The 2024 permanent Celtic summer signing was handed a rating of 7.5 for his performance, but he didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet, although he did against Poland last time out.
The standout from Bernardo was the four key passes he created, as posted by Sofascore.
- Minutes played: 81
- Touches: 66
- Accurate passes: 47/51 (92%)
- Key passes: 4
- Long balls accurate: 2/2
- Big chances missed: 1
- Ground duels won: 3/4
- Aerial duels won: 1/2
- Possession lost: 5
- Clearances: 2
- Interceptions: 1
- Total tackles: 3
When is Celtic’s Bernardo next in action?
Group B and Group D, including current holders England U21s, have yet to conclude their final group matches – they take place on Wednesday, June 18.
When that is done, Portugal U21s will know who they will face in the quarter-finals, but that game will take place on Saturday evening, June 21.
So, if any of the Celtic Park faithful want to watch Bernardo in action, then tune in at 5pm because this is where the real stuff starts.
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