Paulo Bernardo believes his surging Celtic form can realise Portugal ‘dream’ as Ronaldo team up in his sights

The Hoops ace was thrilled to see Scotland come out of the Nations League hat with his homeland and he now has a big target

Paulo Bernardo maintains that nobody should place a wager against Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury at Hampden Park later this year in the Nations League.

The Portuguese playmaker for Celtic acknowledges that playing alongside his hero is his greatest ambition.Bernardo said that both his native country and his adopted nation emerged from the hat during last week’s draw, he was ecstatic. The midfielder on loan from Benfica has not yet decided what to do with himself after this season’s loan period, but there’s a good probability he will remain at Parkhead.

The Hoops have a £6m option to buy the 22-year-old outright and his performances in recent months have persuaded plenty of fans he’s worth the outlay. Bernardo will have a major say but while he’s still unsure if he’ll be in Scotland – he is convinced Ronaldo will be. The Portugal legend may have turned 39-year-old this month and is currently topping up his bumper pension in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr.

But his patriotic fires still burn brightly and Bernardo wouldn’t be surprised if the former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United superstar is still doing the business beyond this summer’s Euros. The Hoops man admitted he worships Ronaldo – as does every other young player coming through in his home land. And Bernardo said: “It’s a very interesting draw with Portugal playing Scotland!

“The boys haven’t said too much but I am sure we will be talking about it nearer the time. It will be a nice game to see. Will Ronaldo be playing? Probably yes!. You never know. He’s 39 now but he keeps going.

“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.”

Bernardo is part of a new generation of Portuguese stars having been a big shot in the Benfica youth set up and playing a major role in his county’s youth set up. The midfielder has 21 caps at under 21 level – with six goals – and emerged alongside emerging globals stars such as Goncalo Ramas at PSG and Barca wiseman Joao Felix and Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves.

Bernardo admitted it’s his big dream to make the breakthrough to the senior side and play his part in an exciting next stage for his national side. The youngster is determined to produce the goods in the second half of the season and stake his claim for the international set up.

He knows starring for Celtic would be no barrier with former Celtic hero Jota managing to make the long list for the World Cup in Qatar when he was with the Hoops – only to miss the final cut and then drift from the set-up following his move to the Middle East. But Bernardo said: “It’s a vey strong group of players coming through with Portugal right now. I have always dreamt about playing for the national team. It is ambition of mine – and it is also a big motivation to get to that stage and play for my country.

Bernardo’s immediate aim is to keep the Celtic show on the road. The Hoops secured their place in the Scottish Cup last eight at the weekend with the win at St Mirren. On the heels of the last-gasp victory at Hibs last week, some of the recent doom and gloom has started to lift.

Even if Celtic hasn’t played at their most daring yet, they have won eight of their nine games without a loss and are still in the running for a league title. Bernardo believes that with important players returning from injury, there is still more to come. However, he acknowledged that if Celts could be more clinical, they could ease their own lives.

“We have a long season with ups and downs,” he remarked. To continue moving forward and getting better, the players, coaches, and supporters must band together. Despite a few injuries, I believe we are doing fairly well. All we have to do is seize the chance in front of the objective.