PROFILE | Gonçalo Ramos experiencing difficult adaptation period at PSG

Expectations surrounded Gonçalo Ramos as he entered 2023 on the back of a World Cup campaign in Qatar that had firmly thrust the young striker into the limelight. He became the player to replace Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal’s starting lineup against Switzerland. It was a game where Ramos turned intense pressure into an opportunity as he announced himself on the global stage with a hat trick to fire his nation into the quarterfinals.

What followed was less memorable but no less important when considering the year that was to come. Ramos struggled to make an impact in the next game against Morocco, and Portugal were dumped out of the tournament. It was only two matches, but in them was a prophetic tableau of what has since come to pass; intense promise followed by disappointment.

Ramos spearheaded a Benfica attack last season that won the Primeira Liga and reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League, where he scored 27 goals across all competitions. His efforts earned him a summer move from his boyhood club to Paris Saint-Germain, where it looked like he would form part of a major facelift for the capital club.

He was joining an attack that looked set to lose Lionel Messi and Neymar, while also experiencing a radical transformation in playing style under new manager Luis Enrique who would promote a more press and possess style of play.

Ramos looked the exact fit for Luis Enrique’s new project. The forward was comfortable dropping deep and forming connections with the midfield, before attacking the box and completing plays with a signature finish at the near post. His experience under previous manager, Roger Schmidt also showed the striker was comfortable leading an aggressive pressing system.

Despite fitting the profile of a Luis Enrique forward, Ramos has struggled to adjust to the demands of his new team this season. There have been flashes of promise, but this has been far from consistent as the striker has scored four times in twenty-one appearances for his new club. The signing of direct competition, Randal Kolo Muani, has not helped matters for a young forward who has not found his feet in his new environment.