It took several years, several aborted avenues and some disillusionment to see AC Milan finally get their hands on the much-desired striker. Recruited for 74 million euros, Gonçalo Ramos arrived in Lombardy with immense pressure on his shoulders, that of a player recruited to embody the great number 9 that the Rossoneri had been looking for for a long time. And to afford the Portuguese international, Milan did not hesitate to strike hard. His transfer became the most expensive in the club’s history, symbol of a major investment made to put a real offensive reference back at the heart of the Milan project. After several transfer windows looking for the right formula, the Lombard club seems to have decided to no longer procrastinate and to bet on the former PSG striker capable of immediately making an impact in the area, of scoring, but also of carrying part of the team’s newfound ambitions.
Because before Ramos, Milan had already tried several formulas. Tammy Abraham had arrived on loan from AS Roma and had provided appreciable services in the rotation, without however convincing enough for his rossonera adventure to extend beyond his loan. A few months later, Niclas Füllkrug was in turn recruited in the form of a loan from West Ham, in an operation more thought of as a short-term response to the offensive difficulties and the situation of Santiago Gimenez. But it is especially the case of the Mexican who left a bitter taste. Arriving permanently from Feyenoord in February 2025 with high expectations after his performances in the Netherlands, Gimenez never managed to establish himself as the goalscorer Milan hoped for. His departure on loan for FC Porto, made official on August 31, 2026, closed a disappointing experience and symbolized the difficulties encountered by the club to finally find the right formula for the number 9 position. But Ramos’ debut makes Milan management hope that this objective repeated at each transfer window will finally be history.
An XXL test against Juventus to confirm
For now, the Portuguese’s first steps give reason to be optimistic. Ramos wasted no time in unlocking his score with the Rossoneri by finding the net against Venice. A necessarily important goal to launch your adventure and relieve some of the pressure linked to its price and its status. But beyond this first achievement, it is above all his behavior on the field which begins to seduce. Against Torino, the striker delivered a particularly interesting performance, displaying his ability to weigh on a defense, participate in offensive movements and be available in dangerous areas. “For me it will be a positive season if we win the Scudetto. The goals don’t matter to me. If I score 100 and we finish seventh, it won’t matter. I am here to write the history of AC Milan, like everyone who joins us. AC Milan is already part of history, we want to enrich it by winning other trophies. When I was little, my father always talked to me about AC Milan. It was his favorite club. He grew up watching them win everything, and his dream was to play there. He is my mentor in life, I have learned so much from him. I still talk to my father. He’s the first person I talk to after a match to find out what I can improve and what I did well and not so well. What matters most to me in life is family. In sport, it’s victory“.
“Amorim called me in July, during the World Cup. I went to my room and we talked: it was very simple. It’s a moment I will never forget. I don’t think about the fact that I am the most expensive player in the club’s history. For me, it’s all about trust. It means they believe in me, so I have to prove myself and help the club win. It’s a source of motivation and pressure, but positive pressure. I try to do everything to score. It’s never nice to miss goals, but when it happens, it’s important to know how to handle the situation“, he concluded. But the preparation meetings and the first meetings of the season will soon no longer be enough to judge the new Milanese number 9. The real test arrives this Sunday with a particularly anticipated trip to the Allianz Stadium pitch to face Juventus. It is precisely for this type of meeting that Milan invested so much in him. After having seduced during his first appearances, the Portuguese striker will now have to confirm when the pressure is maximum and the stakes really start to weigh. In Turin, Gonçalo Ramos will already have the opportunity to take a new step and show that Milan may finally have the striker they have been waiting for for years.
