Gonçalo Ramos has found himself in the space left by Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Portugal, and he has taken it with the simplest currency available to a centre-forward: goals. In Denmark, during Portugal’s first match without Ronaldo’s commanding presence, the Milan striker scored. He had done the same against Norway a few days earlier, when Ronaldo remained on the bench after a long warm-up that brought no involvement in the game.
The episode has added weight to Jorge Jesus’s difficult selection decisions, although it would be excessive to suggest Ramos alone has closed Ronaldo’s international chapter. What he has done is give Portugal’s coach a timely answer on the pitch while the attention around Ronaldo’s break with the national side grew louder.
“External matters do not change the importance of the match,” Ramos said afterwards. “The next game is what matters now, and that is enough for the group. We have plenty of quality and the coach has many options, but naturally I am pleased to strengthen my place in the squad.”
A familiar role beside Ronaldo’s absence
It is not the first time Ramos has stepped into a Portugal side without Ronaldo at its centre. At the 2022 World Cup, Fernando Santos left Ronaldo out for the round-of-16 tie against Switzerland after dissatisfaction with his reaction to being substituted in the previous match. It was Ronaldo’s first omission from the starting line-up in a major tournament since 2008.
Ramos, then 21, was handed his first international start in a World Cup knockout match. Rather than being overwhelmed by the occasion, he scored a hat-trick and set up Raphaël Guerreiro in Portugal’s 6-1 victory. The result eased some of the immediate scrutiny around Ronaldo’s exclusion, though Ronaldo himself did little to reduce the wider discussion.
With Ronaldo no longer involved, the path is clearer for Ramos, beginning with Portugal’s Nations League meeting with Norway on Sunday. After that, however, he will return to Milanello with a separate concern: turning international confidence into a more convincing contribution for Milan.
Rúben Amorim will hope the international break has refreshed a forward whose club return has so far fallen below expectations. Ramos has recorded one goal and one assist in 535 minutes for the Rossoneri, a modest return for a player signed for more than €70 million. In several matches he has not managed a shot on target, despite the constant running that has taken him across the front line in search of service and opportunities.
Christian Pulisic recently described his teammate as a player who “runs for the whole match, never stops, and is also a great person.” The missing element, for Milan, remains the one Ramos supplied for Portugal: putting the ball in the net.
