Silent last night against Wales (1-0), Gonçalo Ramos (25) has just made another appearance without scoring. The striker will still take advantage of the three weeks of the international break to breathe a little. Because in Italy, the media pressure is seriously starting to be felt. Attractive during the preseason and a scorer in his second match with the Rossoneri on August 28 against Venice (2-0), the former resident of Paris Saint-Germain aroused the enthusiasm of an entire club which made the Portuguese the most expensive recruit in its history (€74 million) in order to put an end to the curse of the number 9 which is plaguing Milan.
One goal since August 28, and that’s it
Unfortunately for Ramos, the Lombard praise quickly stopped. After the Europa League match lost at San Siro against Benfica (0-2), the first criticisms came. The reason is quite simple: after his only goal scored against Venice and his decisive pass delivered last weekend against Lecce (3-0), number 9 Rossonero is running out of fuel. This does not mean that he does not give of himself. Quite the contrary. With 57 km covered (around 11.5 km per match), the Portuguese is the AC Milan player and Serie A striker who has run the most during the last five days of the championship. But this morning, the Gazzetta dello Sport gently reminded him that he had not been recruited at a high price to run more than the others.
“Running is no longer enough. Ramos breaks kilometer record, but Milan needs goals. He is first in terms of distance covered, but he has not had a shot on goal in four matches and his last goal dates back to the one scored against Venice (August 28). The center forward of the new Milan, dedicated to the attack, does not even make an appearance in the penalty area. He runs, fights, duels and plays in relays, but where have the goals gone? » The pink paper daily hits on Ramos’ performance, but takes the time to qualify his remarks. Of course, the Lusitanian no longer scores, but it’s also because his team doesn’t really help him. A player with a very developed collective sense, Ramos pays concretely for his altruism and is not put in the right conditions to shake the nets.
“We certainly cannot call him a top player”
The Italian newspaper indicates that Ramos only touches 9% of his balls in the opposing penalty area when other Serie A scorers like Lautaro Martinez (20%) or Donyell Malen (29%) display much higher percentages. A sense of sacrifice that doesn’t pay off. “Ramos exchanges balls with his teammates in other areas of the field and even runs to cover in defense: so many sacrifices in the service of others which are ultimately not returned to him. » Will Ruben Amorim find the solution to finally make his star striker shine? Accustomed to shaking the Serie A nets in the early 2000s (17 goals in 40 matches with AC Milan, 45 in 116 with Inter, 48 in 73 with Lazio and 7 in 21 with Genoa), Hernan Crespo (51) gave his opinion on the question. And for the former Argentina international, Ramos cannot (yet) be considered a world reference in his position.
“I can say that I know Gonçalo Ramos, that he is a good player, an excellent center forward and that he will end up scoring goals, sooner or later. Of course, given the amount spent on his transfer, fans expected a top-notch goalscorer, but the Portuguese has never been a sure-fire marksman. Check out his career stats and you’ll find all the answers you’re looking for. Over the last three seasons at PSG, Ramos has scored 53 goals in 131 games. This means that he does not have a stratospheric average: not even a goal every two games. Furthermore, although he always made an appreciable contribution, he was never an indisputable starter for Luis Enrique in the double European champion team. An excellent player, certainly, but we certainly cannot call him a high-level player. » Will Gonçalo Ramos make Crespo lie?
