Paulo Bernardo seems like a forgotten man at Celtic.
Probably one of the reasons behind that is Bernardo hardly being used, whether that’s sitting on the bench or not even being in the matchday squad.
In 2026 alone, the Celtic midfielder played only 12 minutes of Premiership football as Martin O’Neill guided the Hoops to the double.
But days after Celtic beat Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup final, another game in which Bernardo wasn’t a part of, he took to Instagram to say he would ‘come back stronger’ next season.
“Now it’s time to rest, reset and enjoy some quality time with family and friends before coming back stronger for next season,” said Bernardo.
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Paulo Bernardo ‘grateful’ for support as Celtic secure domestic double
The thing is that Bernardo wasn’t a regular starter under Brendan Rodgers either, but one thing is for sure, he wasn’t sidelined as he has been under O’Neill.
The issue with his situation is the fact that Celtic have had many midfield issues this term, yet he has only been able to muster up three starts in the Premiership.
Despite hardly featuring this term, Bernardo seemed upbeat on social media, including expressing his delight in how Celtic ended the campaign.
“What a way to end the 25/26 season,” wrote Bernardo. “🏆🏆 Scottish Premiership champions and Scottish Cup winners.
“Grateful to everyone who continued to support me throughout the year. Now it’s time to rest, reset and enjoy some quality time with family and friends before coming back stronger for next season 💚.”
Bernardo’s season in numbers
You suspect that if O’Neill remains Celtic manager next season, then Bernardo will probably leave, because if he was hardly used this campaign, you can’t see that changing when there is expected to be a clearout in the summer.
But it’s a shame that a player of Bernardo’s quality is hardly being used.
The 24-year-old has strong technical ability and is more than capable of being a regular starter for the champions of Scotland.
But as soon as the Hoops signed Bernardo permanently in 2024 after a promising loan spell, he has continued to decline as a player.
- Games in 2025/26: 20
- Starts: 7
- Remained on the bench: 21
- Goals: 0
- Assists: 0
- Total minutes: 635
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