Celtic are set to return this week against Heart of Midlothian and Paulo Bernardo has had a productive international break in the lead-up to the clash.
Making strides since joining the Bhoys permanently for £3.5 million in the summer, the Almada-born man has scored twice and laid on an assist in 17 appearances across all competitions.
Taking his positive vein of form into international duty, Paulo Bernardo struck for Portugal Under-21s against Slovakia last night as they ran out 3-1 winners in their final qualifying clash for Euro 2025 after already securing progression.
Taking his tally to nine goals in 27 appearances for Selecao, the 22-year-old has been a credit to Rui Jorge while wearing the armband, which may give Brendan Rodgers food for thought ahead of club football’s resumption.
Before that becomes the centre of attention, Bernardo has taken to Instagram to share his delight at another victory while on international duty.
Paulo Bernardo takes to Instagram after scoring vs Slovakia
On the social media platform, Bernardo posted a selection of pictures from the victory over Slovakia, joined by the caption ‘Traineeship concluded with a good win’ after his personal contribution to proceedings.
On the evidence of his performances for Portugal Under-21s, you wouldn’t put it past the Celtic star having a shot at a senior call-up in the near future.
However, with the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Joao Palhinha and Ruben Neves in the engine room, he may have to wait for circumstances to align.
Either way, it is brilliant to see Bernardo thriving away from the club scene, which can hopefully help him make a compelling argument for more starts at Celtic.
Paulo Bernardo relishing Celtic midfield battle
Speaking back in October, Bernardo revealed he relishes Celtic’s midfield battle as he looks to edge ahead of his other competitors for a slot in Rodgers’ starting line-up.
He said: “For sure, we have great players in that position and like I said before, it’s really good to have that competition on the team because we grow in training much faster if you have competition than if you don’t.”
With a bruising fixture schedule ahead, Celtic will need to rely on their squad depth to ensure they can maintain their excellent early-season momentum.
In turn, that likely provides opportunities for Bernardo to stake his claim, and he will be determined to show why he deserves to retain his place when given an opportunity.
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