Celtic loanee Paulo Bernardo has slowly established himself as an important facet of Brendan Rodgers’ side since arriving last summer.
Despite his initial lack of regular minutes, the 22-year-old broke into the first team within the Christmas period and gradually started demonstrating his star quality.
Of course, his finest moment in green and white so far came in the final calendar match of 2023, where Bernardo drove a brilliant volley past Jack Butland to open the scoring for the Bhoys in their derby victory over Rangers at Parkhead.
Overall, the Portugal Under-21 international has featured 20 times for Celtic in all competitions, registering three goals and two assists [Transfermarkt].
Nevertheless, Rodgers could only find a place on the bench for Bernardo last weekend in his side’s 2-0 victory over St Mirren in the Scottish Cup due to his preference for a two-man strikeforce involving Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah.
Celtic midfielder Paulo Bernardo names one of his football idols
Footballers all have their idols and will have grown up dreaming of one day emulating their exploits on the elite stage.
For most Celtic fans, Henrik Larsson is probably their go-to answer; however, Bernardo will be of a slightly different persuasion, given that he is Portuguese.
Recently, the Benfica loanee has signalled his intention to break into the Portugal senior set-up, and he has now added that fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo is someone he looks up to on the pitch.
Bernardo stated on the former Real Madrid legend [Daily Record]: “I don’t know if I will be playing at that age. I’ll need to look after my body like he does. But it is not just that. It is his mental strength. He is absolutely incredible. Do I see him as a role model? Of course. He is like an idol to every player.
“We all look up to him. It’s a maybe bit much to expect to achieve all the things that he has done and is still doing. But he is an inspiration to every player. He came from nothing and he succeeded and achieved so much. We always look to him and try to do our best as well.”
In truth, Bernardo’s answer is unsurprising, though Ronaldo has shown what relentless commitment to keeping yourself in shape can do for your career.
For now, the playmaker’s full focus will be on helping his side in the hunt for the Scottish Premiership title before his future at Parkhead is sorted out in the summer.
Previous reports convey that there is a buyout clause of around £6 million present in his loan agreement, which could have ‘wiggle room’ if Celtic wish to deal him in.
