Gonçalo Ramos, the 24-year-old Paris Saint-Germain striker, has disappointed several times as a starter, even though he has also scored decisive goals as a substitute. And he has never complained about being “demoted.” A sign of his unique mindset, highlighted by Luis Castro, his former U19 coach at Benfica, who is now at Levante, speaking to L’Equipe.
“With him, the team always comes first.”
“It shows an incredible mentality. He’s very strong as a player, and he’s very, very strong as a person. He works for the team. With him, the team always comes first. Whether you give him 5, 10, or 90 minutes, you know he’ll give everything.”
When Ramos signed for PSG, there was hope that he would be PSG’s “great number 9” for many years. For the moment, that seems to have been put on hold. Sometimes clumsy, other times completely invisible, he hasn’t established himself as a regular starter.
However, while some decisions may have been difficult to accept when he saw other youngsters surpass him, the Portuguese striker has never let himself be discouraged. He thinks of the team, doesn’t complain, and gives his all regardless of playing time. This has paid off when he comes on as a substitute.
It should also be noted that he doesn’t hesitate to pass to his teammates, a rather rare trait for a striker. Especially when he seems to need to prove himself in order to earn playing time. Now, we’d like to see him find his spark and become a formidable striker again, both as a regular starter and as a regular, as he was at Benfica.
