Can Gonçalo Ramos progress from the perfect impact sub to a regular starter for PSG? | OneFootball

29 years after losing 9-2 to Juventus across two legs, Paris Saint-Germain returned to the UEFA Super Cup for the second time in their history. This time, after winning Europe’s primary competition rather than its secondary competition.

Facing off against UEFA Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur, Les Parisiens looked poised to dominate from start to finish. After all, Tottenham had just finished 17th in the Premier League, sold attacking talisman Heung-Min Son to LAFC, and lost key figures like Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison to injury; PSG, meanwhile, were coming off a historic season that saw them win a domestic treble, reach the FIFA Club World Cup Final, and claim their first-ever UEFA Champions League title.

And yet, PSG looked second-best for the vast majority of the contest, with Tottenham bagging two set-piece goals on either side of the break in their first-ever trip to the UEFA Super Cup and pinning Les Parisiens back with an aggressive pressing setup and controlled possession flow.

Ramos proves decisive

However, substitute Kang-in Lee injected new life into the match after conjuring up a long-range missile in the 85th minute, whilst another substitute – Gonçalo Ramos – would equalise in the fourth minute of added time after timing his run to perfection, latching onto Ousmane Dembélé’s cross, and firing a bullet header into the back of the net.

The match went to penalties, where Spurs took a 2-0 lead after Vitinha’s effort sailed wide and Dominic Solanke and Rodrigo Bentancur converted their spot kicks, but Ramos would atone for his countryman’s error by coolly slotting his penalty past Guglielmo Vicario in goal. And whereas Mickey van de Ven and Mathys Tel failed to find the target for Spurs, Dembélé and Lee made no mistake from the spot. Pedro Porro evened the score, but his former Sporting teammate Nuno Mendes would have the last laugh after smashing his effort into the top-right corner to finalize the comeback.

It was yet another reminder of why Paris Saint-Germain are the best team in world football, having only just returned to training six days earlier. And it was another reminder of why, despite not occupying a starting role, Ramos remains one of the most promising young centre-forwards in Europe at 24 years of age.

In the mixed zone after the match a radiant Ramos said that he had no intention of leaving the European champions despite his limited playing time, confirming that he would remain at PSG this season.

Algarve native makes his name in Lisbon

Born in Olhão, Faro District, Ramos joined Benfica’s academy in 2013 after being rejected by Sporting due to his slight frame, eventually making a spectacular first-team debut on July 21, 2020, where he netted a brace after coming on for Pizzi in the 85th minute.

However, he found starting opportunities limited at the Estádio da Luz until the departure of Darwin Núñez to Liverpool. He started off the 2022/23 season by scoring a first career hat-trick in a 4–1 home win over Midtjylland in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round and proved instrumental in the Águias reaching the UEFA Champions League group stage, where they finished above Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

Ramos excelled as Benfica’s starting striker and became the youngest player to score 25 goals in a season since the club’s greatest-ever player Eusébio did it in 1962/63. An eagle-eyed poacher who excells at creeping into the box and getting on the end of through balls and crosses, he finished with 27 goals in all competitions, 19 in the league, including a goal on the final day in a 3-0 win vs. Santa Clara to secure Benfica’s first league title in four years.

These stellar displays in Lisbon caught the attention of PSG, who signed him on loan with an obligation to buy for €65 million with an additional €15 million in potential bonuses on August 7, 2023. Less than a month later, PSG signed another striker, Randal Kolo Muani, for €75 million with an additional €15 million in bonuses. Ramos opened his account in French football after replacing Kylian Mbappé in the 32nd minute and became the first player in Ligue 1 to score a brace off the bench since Mbappé did it in 2020.

Overcoming illness

His debut campaign in Paris was not without trauma, with Ramos spending 20 days bleeding and vomiting due to a colon infection, losing six kilograms during the festive period and even being hospitalised. However, he displayed remarkable resilience and composure to bounce back and emerge as a valuable impact player, racking up 14 goals and 2 assists in 40 appearances (1,877 minutes). The following season, Ramos registered 19 goals and 6 assists in 46 appearances (1,811 minutes).

With Mbappé making the move to Real Madrid on a free transfer, the stage appeared to be set for Kolo Muani or Ramos to fill the void in attack; instead, PSG manager Luis Enrique opted to utilize a false 9 in Dembélé, who delivered a career-best campaign and established himself as one of the top attackers in world football. In contrast to Ramos, who has appeared at times to be a tad clunky in possession, Dembélé relished the freedom to drop deep and combine with teammates, becoming the odds-on favourite for the Ballon d’Or in the process.

Fierce competition to make the starting XI

Ramos, meanwhile, has been forced to scrape it out as the club’s fifth-choice attacker behind Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola and January arrival Khvicha Kvaratshkelia. But can he build on his momentum and solidify a starting spot in attack? It will certainly be easier said than done.

“If Ramos manages to play a string of matches and score decisive goals, I think he could become a starter,” states PSG supporter Alexandre Carvalho. “So far, he hasn’t had any luck with PSG. In his first season, he caught a virus that kept him out for three months. He was having a great preseason in the summer of 2024 and then got injured 20 minutes into the opener and didn’t play for five months.”

“I have my doubts about him becoming a starter as I don’t think Enrique really appreciates this type of player, unless he starts participating more in the build-up and creating gaps in the heart of the game,” added Carvalho, who is also the founder of the French-language Portuguese football outlet Golaço TV. “However, he’s proven effective at coming off the bench and making the difference against tired defences with his very good eye for goal.”

It’s very possible that Ramos will never become the first-choice centre-forward at PSG, but with Kolo Muani set to join Juventus on a permanent deal, he will be the sole striker in PSG’s squad, making it even more likely that Enrique will utilize him on a regular basis.

Ramos may not be a starter or a Ballon d’Or nominee like his Portuguese teammates Nuno Mendes, Vitinha and João Neves, but he’s nevertheless proven that he can make an instant impact in limited minutes and offer something different in attack. As long as he can stay fit, all signs point to him cracking the 20-goal mark for the first time in France, before heading off to North America for the FIFA World Cup and competing with Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal’s starting #9 role.