Bruno Bertinato joins Palmeiras, inspired by Jailson: ‘It drives me’

In partnership with

Nosso Palestra

·1 September 2026

Bruno Bertinato joins Palmeiras, inspired by Jailson: ‘It drives me’

Palmeiras introduced goalkeeper Bruno Bertinato this Tuesday (1st), arriving on a contract through the end of 2026 after a stint with Portuguesa in Brazil’s Série D. The player will wear the No. 21 shirt, which belonged to Weverton.

Career development and the chance to stay

Palmeiras’ new goalkeeper, Bruno Bertinato, highlighted the importance of the opportunity to play for the club and said he intends to use the coming months to show his potential and fight to remain in the squad.

OneFootball Videos

“Very happy with this opportunity, a great opportunity in my life. I’m arriving at the biggest club in Brazil. When I got the call, I was very happy, grateful, and it was a huge confirmation of what I had been doing. I know great goalkeepers have played here at Palmeiras, and I hope to write my story here too.”

A fan of Marcos

When speaking about his references in Palmeiras’ goal, Bruno Bertinato named Marcos as one of his greatest idols. The goalkeeper also mentioned Fernando Prass and Weverton, while explaining his choice of the same shirt number used by Palmeiras’ current starter.

“Without a doubt, he’s a great idol, the last starting goalkeeper to win a world title, with a historic spell here at Palmeiras, so he’s a great idol. I follow him a lot, I still haven’t had the chance to meet him in person, but I hope that now, wearing this shirt, I’ll be closer to meeting him. I followed Prass a lot and, of course, Weverton. I ended up choosing the same shirt number. He’s a goalkeeper I followed closely, at Coritiba, he played for Portuguesa, just like I did. I hope to win many titles.”

Carlos Miguel at Palmeiras

Asked about the competition and the possibility of building a long career at the club, Bruno Bertinato pointed out that 28 is still young for a goalkeeper and praised Carlos Miguel’s profile, highlighting similarities between the two.

“At 28, you still end up being young for a goalkeeper. We can look at goalkeepers who are 38, 40, Fábio himself at 45. So we have a lot of room, a lot of time. We’re similar goalkeepers, maybe because of our height and agility. He’s a great goalkeeper, he started building a great spell here, and I’m coming motivated to build my story here.”

Palmeiras’ first contact and a short contract

Bruno Bertinato also commented on his reaction when Palmeiras first contacted him and treated the initial short-term deal as extra motivation to prove his worth day by day.

“My first reaction was one of great happiness. It’s the biggest club in Brazil. When the biggest club in Brazil calls you, when the phone rings, there’s no other reaction. It’s proof of the work I’ve been doing. As for the contract, I see it as extra motivation. Right now, I only have a few months on my deal, but I have the day-to-day to show my story, win titles and, God willing, renew my contract.”

Contact with the fans

The goalkeeper also recalled his first contact with Palmeiras fans, on a special night for the club marked by Palmeiras’ anniversary and a 3-0 victory.

“It was really cool. It was a historic night, the club’s anniversary, a full stadium. A 3-0 win topped it off perfectly.”

Goalkeeper factory and competition for space

The seventh goalkeeper signed by Palmeiras since Fernando Prass arrived, Bruno Bertinato said he sees the internal competition as a challenge and reaffirmed his willingness to work every day in search of opportunities.

“It’s a challenge, I need to show my value every day. To show my value, what I’ve done so far already proves it. Otherwise, Palmeiras wouldn’t have come after me. And, as I said, I see it as motivation. Whether in training, in games, with the group, in the locker room. I’m willing to give my best.”

Presentation and why he was sought out

Finally, Bruno Bertinato explained the path he took in his career before arriving at Palmeiras. The goalkeeper said he spent much of his development in Italy, returned to Brazil, and bet on a career project at Portuguesa, where he stood out before drawing Verdão’s interest.

“So, as I said, every player who arrives has great qualities. I spent my whole life in Italy, until two years ago I decided to return to Brazil and went to Portuguesa. At the moment, it’s in a place it doesn’t deserve to be, and it was a decision where, at that time, I chose to take one step back to take two or three forward. I’m happy to see that the career project we mapped out ended up taking shape, and we came off an excellent campaign. Because of that, Palmeiras turned its eyes to me. I had other opportunities, but Portuguesa didn’t end up releasing me. Otherwise, I’d already be in Série A. But I’m extremely happy to be here.”

Jailson as inspiration

Bruno Bertinato also spoke about Jailson, a goalkeeper who had a memorable spell at Palmeiras, and said the former player’s path serves as inspiration for anyone who arrives at the club needing to wait for an opportunity.