Courted by several European greats last summer, Gonçalo Ramos said yes to PSG. But the 22-year-old striker's first steps in the capital did not go as planned. Which raises questions and worries his country, Portugal.
A missed appointment. Between Gonçalo Ramos and Paris Saint-Germain , the love story could have started in 2022. In search of offensive reinforcement, the residents of the Parc des Princes had set their sights on the promising Benfica scorer. But the seduction operation was unsuccessful and the native of Lisbon remained with his favorite club. Last year, he spread his eagle wings more than ever to score 22 goals and deliver 3 assists in 42 appearances in all competitions, including 40 as a starter. He also achieved the feat of being preferred to the indestructible Cristiano Ronaldo at the head of the national team's attack during certain matches of the 2022 World Cup.
For all these reasons, but also because he is a formidable scorer, who does not hesitate to wet the jersey for the collective, he was once again flirted with by Paris, who were looking for a new player of this style. Despite approaches from other European teams, including Manchester United and Chelsea, the 22-year-old said yes to the capital club on August 7. It thus arrived in the form of a loan with a purchase option set at €80 million, including €15 as a bonus. But this was lifted by PSG on November 22. Linked until 2028, the two parties have therefore united for better and for worse. And for the moment, we cannot say that the first months of this marriage are cloudless.
A first big transfer to digest
Recruited to lead the Parisian attack, Gonçalo Ramos started 10 matches out of the 19 in which he participated. Time for him to score 4 goals (0 assists). Volunteer, he fights and does not hesitate to make defensive efforts. On the other hand, the player must still find automatisms with his partners who have difficulty finding him in small spaces or taking advantage of his head game. We also feel that they are not necessarily looking for it as a priority. In addition, he must deal with competition from Kylian Mbappé, who nevertheless prefers to play on the left side, and from Randal Kolo Muani, also bought this summer and who plays in his position. Which questions Nélson Marques Feiteirona, journalist who follows Benfica for A Bola .
“I understand with difficulty, but PSG has already accustomed us to astonishing transactions and, in truth, Gonçalo is very good, but young and needs to assert himself on the international scene. Competing at a similar level is always important for both coach and player.” Despite everything, Luis Enrique's management questions Gary De Jesus, journalist specializing in Portuguese football. Before PSG's Coupe de France match against Revel, he gave us his analysis on this specific case. *“In my opinion, his situation in Paris is incomprehensible. To be honest, I find it hard to understand what Gonçalo Ramos should do to start a match, to simply play. You should know that the last match he played as a starter (in L1) with PSG was PSG-Monaco. This is the match where we saw the most coherent PSG attack in several months.
The particular management of Luis Enrique
He continues: “I have difficulty understanding. He didn't play because he was ill, that's understandable. But since then, he comes in two minutes at the end of the match. Sometimes he doesn't even warm up. His situation is very strange, especially since in the game he is the one who is the most compatible and who offers a different profile from the others in attack. He's a good guy and a good soldier. When he is up front, he is the one who will run, create space for others, who will play with a touch of the ball when necessary. He will always play in the direction of the game and PSG lacks that in attack where players have the ball and have difficulty letting go of it. He can do good. This is the profile that could best adapt to the scheme with two players on the side, Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé, who could enter the axis when he creates spaces.
His situation also concerns Nélson Marques Feiteirona. “I expected that it would not be easy for him to impose himself, but maybe he could have had more playing time, yes (…) I don't think (that his style of game does not suit PSG, editor's note), because Gonçalo is very versatile. At Benfica, he was a more or less mobile attacker and even a winger and a midfielder. Marco Martins, who is notably a correspondent for Record, has a different feeling. “I’m a little torn. He still had opportunities and he will continue to have them. Against Revel, he started and managed to score a goal from a penalty. Echoes from the French media regarding the fact that Mbappé is not very happy to have Gonçalo Ramos, that he is not the center forward he would have preferred, that Kolo Muani prefers to play with his friends up front, It puts him in an uncomfortable situation. But Mbappé will also be able to realize that he is the only pure 9 of this team. He was shaped that way even at Benfica. He's the one who tries to play as a pivot, to use a term that came up a lot last year. For me, his situation is complicated. Sometimes he plays, he comes in, he’s on the bench. It’s also Luis Enrique’s management.”
An alarming situation
He continues: “on the pitch, I don’t find that there are still many links with the other players. When we see the Mbappé-Kolo Muani-Dembélé trio, we feel that they are friends. We feel that the feeling is passing. With Ramos, it's a little different. In addition, he is a surface player. He likes crosses, playing one-two at the edge of the box. This is not really the case with Mbappé or Dembélé who move towards the inside to strike. There aren't a lot of centers. Even Kang-In Lee, Asensio, Kolo Muani, will more attempt individual play in the area or near the area. They will play it more solo, we come in on one foot and we strike, rather than the central game where Ramos is good with his head. He is more complete than that but I find that he can also be a good surface fox. We may not give him the opportunity in this team where there aren't really any center players. There are crosses but this is not a team that will cross much more than that. At Benfica, there were crossers or one-twos using Ramos as a pivot. He did that a lot with João Mario or Rafa Silva, who had crazy stats. He also scored a lot because they returned it with precise crosses.
Starting in the Coupe de France against Revel, Gonçalo Ramos, who scored a goal, certainly did not imagine experiencing such a situation in Paris. Substitute most often recently, he came on against Newcastle and Metz. He also remained on the bench the entire match during the matches against HAC (December 3), Nantes (December 9) and more recently during the Champions Trophy against Toulouse (January 4). Which doesn't bother Marco Martins. "Worried ? No. Gonçalo Ramos has already proven himself at Benfica in the Champions League. Finishing top scorer in Portugal is not that easy. Scoring goals in the Champions League, too. He has already demonstrated at a major European club where players are used to playing under pressure. The pressure is more complicated at Benfica than at PSG. I'm not worried because he can always bounce back if things don't work out at PSG. There will always be suitors, a bit like João Félix who always has clubs. But he still has time to establish himself in Paris, to be in the rotation. »
Some are worried about him
Gary De Jesus does not agree. “I am worried about him sportingly because he is a player who needs to play, who is young and who is coming off a big season. A revelation season, where he was very good with Benfica and where he was called up to the Portuguese national team. He put Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench. He scored a hat-trick for his first start in a World Cup with Portugal. He was on an upward slope. His transfer should have propelled him into another dimension. In the end, it makes him regress a little. We don't see him anymore. For him, of course, it is a concern especially since there are not necessarily any explanations. He wasn't extraordinary, that's for sure, but he wasn't worse than those playing today. I'm afraid he will lose confidence and not understand his situation."
yesterday, l'equipe also announced that luis enrique is not a big fan of gonçalo ramos, like rkm for that matter. a big problem for nélson marques feiteirona. “they are both very good and young. if the coach has doubts or does not trust them, there is a problem: either he did not give the green light or he was poorly advised. what i think is that today or later, they are two top players. and i hope that psg will be able to take advantage of it. for the moment, all this does not seem to impact the player, who has a fighting character. In the future, if the situation were to continue, the situation could change for Jorge Mendes' client, who must already have calls for him. But he is still linked to PSG for 4 and a half years, if he completes his lease. Despite everything, five months after his signing, we can wonder if joining Paris was the best choice.
PSG, a good choice?
It’s a good question and no one will agree, admits the Record correspondent before adding: “PSG, without the arrival of Kolo Muani, I would have said excellent choice because he would have been the reference in attack , he would have been obliged to start, to play even if there could have been some changes (…) With Kolo Muani, knowing that he is a close friend, that he gets along well with Mbappé, it is a little more complicated. Basically, it's still a good choice. The Portuguese who passed through PSG have often had success. There was Pauleta with whom he surely spoke. Basically, joining Paris was not a bad choice because they did not have a pure number 9. For me, there continues to be only one: Ramos. But the style of play is no longer the same as previous seasons and they may no longer need a fixed 9. After Paris is a Portuguese city. It feels a bit at home. We have already seen him go to the consulate, to Portuguese restaurants. He's at home."
Gary De Jesus also gives us his opinion on the subject. “PSG is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I don’t think they will regret it. He might just realize that to play more, he needs another club,” admits the A Bola journalist . “Basically, I would have said yes, it’s a good choice for him. PSG was sorely lacking a number 9, someone who fixes the defenses to create spaces for their wingers and for Mbappé to take advantage of them. We remember the “pivot gang” story last year. For me, it was a good idea. Ramos was the striker, the good soldier, who would do the dirty work to make the others shine. It's incomprehensible what's happening. Basically, it was a good choice, but given what's happening, I can't say it's a good choice for him. But I think he can bounce back anywhere.”
Bad news before Euro 2024
He continues: “It’s hard to say he’s a good choice because he’s not playing. Perhaps we will have explanations, perhaps it is not good and ultimately it is too early to say that it is a good or a bad choice. If Luis Enrique doesn't want him, let him say so. We know the market for No.9s in Europe. We know that many clubs are looking for a competent 9 and Ramos could delight more than one. That’s a certainty.” But we are not there yet. Gonçalo Ramos may still need time to adapt. Luis Enrique must also find the best way to use it. What is certain is that the player does not experience the same problems in the selection where he was able to meet expectations very quickly. Despite everything, his situation at club could impact his situation with Portugal just a stone's throw from Euro 2024.
Gary De Jesus doesn't believe it. “I think he will not start as a starter because of the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and the fact that Martinez is counting on him. But he will be part of the rotation with CR7, given that he is starting to get old. I don't think it changes much for the coach the fact that he plays little, because there are no other 9. His luck is that Portugal has a lot of wingers, but up front, there are not many solutions or the players are in a bad position like André Silva. I don't see him missing the Euro compared to his short playing time at PSG. On the other hand, I don't see him fighting at all with Cristiano Ronaldo for tenure. The fact that he is not playing for PSG gives him less strength to try to push CR7 to the bench like he did last year when he was exploding with Benfica.
The Portuguese press says little about it
Ditto for Marco Martins. “He is in no danger for Euro 2024 because there are no other No.9s of Gonçalo’s level. So he will be there if he is not injured. There are no other 9s of his quality or who are highly rated, or who succeed as well as Ramos. So no worries for him in selection. When he comes, he scores. And if this is not the case, he helps give goals to CR7 or others. If he doesn't play, we understand because there is Cristiano Ronaldo. In a scheme with Leão and João Félix, the one who takes the surface is Cristiano. But there can be another pattern with Cristiano and Gonçalo and we densify the midfield with Leão, who can play in this position, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva. There are several schemes where he can fit.So no worries for him.”
Nélson Marques Feiteirona does not agree: “I think so, but the context of the national team is different. Let’s take the example of João Félix.” The latter had started the selection during the World Cup in Qatar while he was at Atlético de Madrid. Enough to give hope to Gonçalo Ramos, who still has a few months to find regular playing time and show his qualities. In Portugal, the media still rarely mention his situation at PSG, explains Marco Martins. “We don’t talk about it much in Portugal. We talk about it when he scores because he is the player who scores in Mbappé's team, at PSG, where there is Danilo, Vitinha, where Neymar and Messi but also Pauleta have been... PSG in Portugal enjoys a good rating. For Ramos, we really talk about it when he scores and it's him who helps the PSG team. When he doesn't score or play, we don't talk about it. We just give the result. But overall, there is no concern in the press.” Set to take a step forward in his career, Gonçalo Ramos hopes that his union with Paris will experience happier days in 2024.