FC Porto see Cláudio Ramos as key to Diogo Costa’s growth | OneFootball

What is seen less does not, for that reason, stop making its presence felt. That seems to be, perhaps more than anything else, the logic that has followed Cláudio Ramos throughout his entire career at FC Porto. First Marchesín, then Diogo Costa. At the Dragão, for Cláudio Ramos, the brilliance of those who came before him and of those who kept him in the shadows ended up shaping his path since his arrival in 2020/21, and the season now drawing to a close has been no exception.

Going into the final league matchday, the 34-year-old goalkeeper, who already admitted in an interview with the club’s media that he was not born a Porto fan but will die as one, has made two appearances in the blue-and-white march toward the 2025/26 title. Curiously, both came against AVS SAD and, ironically, with very different levels of performance.

On matchday 16, at home, Diogo Costa felt pain in his left leg after an attempted clearance around the half-hour mark and ended up coming off at half-time. As always, Cláudio Ramos was on the bench waiting for the chance to carry out what is by far the most demanding task for a backup goalkeeper: come on with little competitive rhythm and make sure the starter’s absence is barely noticed. As so many times before that clash with AVS, mission given was mission accomplished.

But in this final stretch of the Primeira Liga, in the round following the title celebrations, against Alverca, Francesco Farioli left Diogo Costa on the bench in Vila das Aves and sent Cláudio Ramos onto the pitch. The change also meant the captain’s armband passed between two teammates and direct rivals, since the former Tondela man is second in the captaincy hierarchy. This time, however, the outcome was not the desired one. Not for the team, which conceded three goals to the competition’s bottom side, already relegated to the second division, nor for Cláudio Ramos himself, who came off very badly in the picture on the 3-1 scored by Aderllan Santos after mistiming his run off the line to deal with a looping cross into his box.

No drama

That particular moment created some noise, especially on FC Porto-related social media, about the Portuguese goalkeeper’s ability to be, from now on, an alternative on the level of Diogo Costa. Although in that game he did not have direct responsibility for the goals conceded, the home match against V. Guimarães, which sealed FC Porto’s elimination from the League Cup (1-3) and in which Cláudio Ramos played the full 90 minutes, was also brought up.

What is said on the outside is far from what is done and, above all, from what is thought at Olival. For the blue-and-white structure, the pressure that the experienced goalkeeper, together with João Costa, puts on Diogo Costa is real and an important factor in the starter’s growth and development on every level.

That does not mean that, if the market ends up taking Diogo Costa, the usual backup will automatically be pulled out of the shadows and placed under the intense spotlight of the blue-and-white goal. Time will tell, but one thing is certain: even if it is not always visible, Cláudio Ramos’s presence is felt every day at Olival.

Contract runs until 2026/27

Barring any surprise, Cláudio Ramos should remain in the blue-and-white squad next season… which could even be his last at the club. The Portuguese goalkeeper’s contract expires in June next year, by which point he will already be 35, with João Costa waiting for a chance to move up the pecking order and other promising young goalkeepers emerging from Porto’s academy. If that happens, Cláudio Ramos may, despite never having established himself as first choice, say goodbye to Invicta with a clear conscience and with obvious reasons to be proud of his journey.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.