If there is one thing that we cannot blame Gonçalo Ramos, it is wanting to put himself before others. Arriving at Paris Saint-Germain in 2023, the former Benfica resident had to face an unprecedented situation from his first days in the capital. While he was supposed to be the number 1 striker recruited for more than €60 million, Ramos saw Randal Kolo Muani land for €90 million. All this, without forgetting the presence of an unassailable competitor, Kylian Mbappé. Faced with this traffic jam, the Portuguese did not flinch. After a first season in Ligue 1 with 11 goals (29 matches), Ramos saw RKM go to Italy (Juventus) and Mbappé to Real Madrid.
Supersub at PSG
A golden opportunity to finally settle into a starting role at the forefront of the attack? Missed. Replacing from the start of last season, Gonçalo Ramos saw Luis Enrique find the magic formula by repositioning Ousmane Dembélé as number 9 at the start of 2025. A hard blow for the Lusitanian, a more than winning gamble for the Spanish coach, who saw his team sweep everything in its path, apart from the Club World Cup. Now considered a supersub, Ramos still managed to score 10 goals in 22 league matches in 2024/2025.
For his coach, the Ramos style would be more suitable for the slightly more brawling end of matches and not for the slick possession style advocated. The fact remains that against FC Barcelona, for example, Ramos saw the young Senna Mayulu being preferred to the 9 position. The titi provided a good performance in Catalonia, but here again, Ramos had to be content with a few crumbs (18 minutes), even if he can boast of having scored the winning goal. An achievement which also allowed him to overtake Kylian Mbappé (16) and become the best substitute-scorer in the history of the Parisian club in all competitions.
And also in selection
However, this luxury replacement situation would have made more than one scream. Not Ramos. Already last summer, when rumors of departure intensified, the Lusitanian repeated to anyone who would listen that he had no intention of leaving Paris. Under contract until 2028, Ramos knows that he plays very little, but he also knows that he is playing in a team now capable of winning a Champions League. Finally, it is also a safe bet that the presence of several of his compatriots (Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, João Neves) plays an important role. Ramos seems to have gotten used to his role as supersub at PSG. But this situation is also repeated in the national team. Since the start of the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, Gonçalo Ramos has never started and has played 39 minutes in three matches (i.e. 13 minutes/match).
Last Saturday, as Portugal pushed to find the fault against Ireland, Roberto Martinez only brought it in in the 86th minute, while the score was still 0-0. Barred at the forefront by a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, could Ramos nevertheless have entered a little earlier? When questioned, Martinez gave his version. “In this kind of match, the important thing is to have good balance, to be resilient and to have a clear idea of how we are going to get past the defensive block. It's not the tactical side of Ireland. We expected it. It was more the emotional aspect. Ireland played like it was a final. It was all or nothing for them. The important thing was not to concede a goal. There are a lot of matches like that. Conceding a goal can be very difficult. We didn't need to change our tactics until Ireland changed their pattern and brought in a second striker. For us, we didn't need a striker. It took one last pass, patience to find the space. What we did was show the quality of the team and come in at the last minute, score the goal and get a tough win. A well-deserved victory and obtained with the sweat of our brow. » Will Gonçalo Ramos have a better chance of starting tomorrow's match against Hungary?
