Goncalo Ramos is a name that has been on everyone’s lips this week following his incredible performance for Portugal in their 6-1 win over Switzerland. The Benfica striker was making his full debut for his nation, taking the place of captain Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ramos was first called up for Portugal in September this year, replacing his fellow Benfica forward Rafa Silva for the final Nations league games of the year. Silva had announced his retirement from international football the day before.
The 21-year-old striker had to wait until November for his senior debut though, when he came off the bench against Nigeria in a friendly. Ramos had already secured a spot on the plane to Qatar and backed up his inclusion by scoring the third and assisting the fourth in a 4-0 debut victory.
So, what earned him his call up? Ramos has played for Portugal at every youth level from U17’s through U21’s. During this time Ramos was part of two runners up sides in European Championships, both in 2019 for U19’s and 2021 for U21’s. In 2019 he picked up the golden boot with four goals in five games.
Ramos joined Benfica at the age of 12 in 2013 and has remained their ever since. At youth level for club, it was a similar story to country. Ramos and Benfica reached the final of the Eufe Youth League in 2019-20 but fell short to Real Madrid at the final hurdle. Ramos was once again the top scorer.
His performances for Benfica at youth level rewarded him with a debut in 2020, and – in what is now seeming a very familiar story – he came off the bench to score on his debut. In fact – this time it was a brace in a 4-0 win, having only come on in the 85th minute.
Ramos played the majority of the 2020-21 season with the Benfica B team, however, netting 11 goals in 12 games. This ultimately rewarded him with a spot on the first team, but his run of starts came to an end with Darwin Nunez returning from injury.
Roman Yaremchuk, who had previously coached him for the B team, took over the first team in January of 2022, and this proved a great chance for Ramos. He took his chances and was ready for what would be a massive year ahead.
This season so far has been his breakthrough season for Benfica, and he has scored 14 goals in 21 games for The Eagles this season. With nine of these being in the league this season, he left for Qatar as top scorer in the Primeira Liga.
Scoring has always been something that just seems to come naturally to Ramos, and it is no surprise that he made the most of his full debut for Portugal by scoring a hat-trick in a 6-1 round of 16 victory. He certainly filled Cristiano Ronaldo’s boots well and justified his coach Fernando Santos’ decision to start him. Can Ramos build on this for the rest of the tournament? We shall have to see, but it is for sure some big names will be assessing him with a keen eye going forward this season.
By Scott O'Neill
Comments