“I wanted to come back as soon as I possibly could,” Paulo Bernardo

A few days ago The Celtic Star attended Paulo Bernardo’s media conference at Celtic Park. Here’s everything that was said…

Q: Were you ever worried that the deal to come back to Celtic wouldn’t get over the line?

Paulo Bernardo: “These things take a little bit longer sometimes, so it was one of those times but the deal is done, so I’m very glad to be here.”

Q: How patient did you have to be?

Paulo Bernardo: “Yes, I was a little bit patient but things were going well, so it was okay to wait.”

Q: You played in all six Champions League games last season. How big of a factor was the Champions League in coming back to Celtic?

Paulo Bernardo: “Champions League is the Champions League. We want to play as many games as we possibly can so this year, there are eight games and we are excited to be there and to play those eight games.”

Q: Just before you left last season, did the manager speak to you or was it a case of seeing what happened?

Paulo Bernardo: “The market is like that so we don’t know what’s going on and what is going to happen in the future. He [Brendan Rodgers] was really happy with me last season. He told me that he didn’t know at the time what was going to happen with me but he told me that he was really happy with me, that I had a fantastic season and that I helped the team in a lot of moments. I was really happy too.”

Q: Were there any other clubs looking to sign you?

Paulo Bernardo: “No, I just heard about Celtic. When the market started, I told my agent that I wanted to come back. I don’t know if he had another option but I didn’t have any other clubs on my hands.”

Q: Was it disappointing to have missed a bit of Celtic’s pre-season?

Paulo Bernardo: “I wanted to come back as soon as I possibly could. I spent some more time with my family so it wasn’t that bad. I know they went to America and it was really good. They played some really good games to be ready for the season and I wanted to be a part of that, but spending a bit of time with the family was good too.”

Q: Is there any aspects of your game that you want to improve on this season?

Paulo Bernardo: “I look forward to scoring more goals! It’s always nice.”

Q: Who do you look to as an international player before making a move?

Paulo Bernardo: “My family always comes first, so I speak to them. They give me the best advice because they are like me and they want the best for me always no matter what.”

Q: Do you see yourself more as an attacking midfielder or a defensive midfielder?

Paulo Bernardo: “I see myself as an attacking midfielder.”

Q: What is it about Rodgers that makes you want to work with him for the next few years?

Paulo Bernardo: “I like the tactics of his game. I think I fit well in his tactics. The team always wanted to help me while I was here to improve my game, so I was happy and I wanted to come back not just because of the coach but the coach was a big part too.”

Q: You mentioned that you’d like to get more goals this season. Is that something you want to do as a player – score as many as possible?

Paulo Bernardo: “We have to focus on a lot of things but football is to score goals, so the best thing you can do is score goals. I think it would help me as a player to score more goals.”

Q: How do you think Rodgers can get the best out of you as a player?

Paulo Bernardo: “He’s a great coach. He has an offensive style and every player knows that so it could really help me to score more goals.”

Q: Did you keep in touch with the players over the summer?

Paulo Bernardo: “Yeah. I have some really good friends here so we keep in touch. They had their summer and I had mine.”

Q: Is there any good friends that you made whilst here at Celtic?

Paulo Bernardo: “Yeah. I have some good friends here at the club. We used to go out and do things together. The team – it’s like a family. We bond and we have to be good with each other to help the team succeed. If you have fights in the team.”