PROFILE | Gonçalo Ramos pigeon-holed in super-sub role at PSG | OneFootball

Ever the reliable super-sub, Gonçalo Ramos has struggled to grasp his chances to establish himself as Paris Saint-Germain’s starting centre-forward.

Although the Portuguese international seemed poised to emerge as PSG’s post-Kylian Mbappé target man at the start of last season, an ankle injury would sideline him for most of the autumn. By the time he returned to action, Ousmane Dembélé’s breakthrough as a false nine was already in full swing.

Ramos nevertheless reliably led the line in the league run-in, scoring eight goals as PSG duly wrapped up a 13th title while channelling their efforts into their continental campaign. His involvement in the Champions League victory, however, was minimal, having been kept out of the starting XI by Dembélé’s Ballon d’Or-winning form.

While he scored in Portugal’s Nations League quarter-final victory over Denmark in March, Ramos was limited to half an hour of action in the finals this summer. He did, however, convert the first of his team’s penalties in the deciding shoot-out.

After the summer, PSG’s early-season injury issues offered the former Benfica man another stint as the first-choice centre-forward. He emerged from a run of five league consecutive starts with just one goal, though, and waited until November to score his second of the campaign. 

Despite his middling form as a starter, Ramos has continued to prove himself as an impact player this year. A last-ditch equaliser to take the Super Cup into extra-time and late winners against Barcelona and Nice have been the highlights of his season so far. 

Ramos’ skillset at odds with PSG approach?

Outside of those flashes, though, the striker struggles with making the difference in PSG’s overall play. This is especially the case when the French champions face low defensive blocks, leaving him with little to space to operate in. 

The 24-year-old is too often isolated up front, lacking the midfield involvement of his false nine stand-ins and largely depending on the quality of the service he gets from the wing. His off-the-ball movement does stretch defenders, though, freeing up space for his more direct teammates to make an impact.

In any case, it’s increasingly clear that PSG’s tactical set-up plays to too few of the evidently talented forward’s strengths. While there are worse roles in football than being the secondary forward option for the European champions, it would be unsurprising if Ramos were to consider a project centred around him. As things stand, he is unlikely to have many more chances to establish himself as Luis Enrique’s first-choice number nine.

GFFN | Raphael Jucobin