Paulo Bernardo keen to eclipse friend Jota when making his own history at Celtic

Paulo Bernardo believes he can follow in the footsteps of friend Jota and create his own history at Celtic.

The on-loan Benfica midfielder made his first start for the club in Saturday’s goalless draw against Hibernian after playing the bulk of the midweek Champions League draw against Atletico Madrid following an early hamstring injury to Reo Hatate.

With the Japan midfielder likely to missing for the next two months, Bernardo has a chance to make his mark.

The 21-year-old watched on as Jota became a Celtic fans’ favourite, firstly on loan from Benfica and then after making a permanent deal to Glasgow before sealing a big-money move to Saudi Arabia in the summer.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s cinch Premiership encounter with St Mirren, the Portugal Under-21 international said: “I am working hard to make my impact. Jota made his impact and I want to make my impact.

“We are friends, I speak to him a lot, but now I have to make my own history and hopefully it’s good like him.

“He told me Glasgow was good and that Celtic is a really big club like we are used to in Benfica. He told me that it’s not too different. The big difference is the weather. But I am really enjoying Glasgow like Jota said I would.”

With Celtic facing 14 games before the end of 2023, Bernardo is confident he can make his mark.

“I have to feel it because we are professional players and it’s our job to make an impact,” he said.

“It was really good to make my first start at this big club. The game was not so good but we have a game on Wednesday and we will get better.

“It was a little hard to start these sequence of games, but I will respond well.

“You can work hard in training and this gave me an opportunity to play, but game time is the most important time for a player.

“When we play one game, we improve a lot more than one or two training sessions.

“I am feeling confident. I like the way the coach thinks and plays the game, and I feel comfortable with the tactics.”

Bernardo is enjoying the relentless nature of Scottish football.

“It’s a bit different to Portugal, but I really like it here and Celtic really support me,” he said. “The players have welcomed me and the staff support me really well.

“The game here is more intense. The game never stops.

“In Portugal, we lose a little bit of the time of the game because players go down on the floor and the referee stops the game. It’s a little bit boring compared to here. That’s the biggest difference.”