PROFILE | Gonçalo Ramos’ body lets him down as he looks to secure No.9 jersey at PSG | OneFootball

Gonçalo Ramos’ first season at PSG was testing, albeit perhaps not exactly in the way that he was expecting. The Portuguese forward was recruited alongside Randal Kolo Muani and Marco Asensio in the summer of 2023. The trio would be vying for just one place in Luis Enrique’s set-up. Kylian Mbappé also featured centrally for large parts of the season for Les Parisiens and so competition for playing time was fierce. Establishing himself as the first-choice looked to be the test of character that awaited Ramos at the Parc des Princes but instead, it has been less a question of outperforming his teammates, and more a question of fighting for fitness.

His efforts to impose himself at his new club were first hindered back in December 2023 when he suffered a colon infection, the after-effects of which were felt for several weeks. “I had a complicated month of December. I first caught a virus which then turned into a colon infection. I spent 20 days bleeding and vomiting, without being able to eat, and with a very high fever,” he told Record in March.

The striker explained, “I had to go to the hospital four or five times, and I was administered a drip. I lost eight kilos, and during my first season in France, it didn’t help. I had to regain weight mid-season, and do a pre-season in January which wasn’t easy.”

Luis Enrique’s reticence to recruit could play into Ramos’ hands

Despite that, Ramos nonetheless scored eight goals in Ligue 1 in the second half of last season as PSG retained their Ligue 1 title. His contribution, ultimately, was not a decisive one, with Les Parisiens winning the league at a canter, but it provided optimism for his second season.

With Mbappé gone and Kolo Muani struggling to earn the trust of Luis Enrique, the No.9 role was Ramos’ for the taking. That became evident when he started in PSG’s Ligue 1 opener against Le Havre in August but once again, his body let him down. This time it was an ankle injury, suffered within the first 20 minutes of the season, and which required surgery, that stymied his thus-far faltering career at PSG. Having returned at the end of November, he will now be hoping to stay fit and contribute to his side’s success in the second half of the campaign. Luis Enrique’s reticence to buy another No.9 will certainly afford him the chance to do so.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle