luxury substitute, Gonçalo Ramos takes advantage of the rest granted to Kylian Mbappé to shine

After a complicated acclimatization and a winter spoiled by a virus, the Portuguese is more and more often decisive in Ligue 1. Against Lyon, he scored a double on Sunday.

From almost transparent replacement to decisive understudy, is Gonçalo Ramos changing stature at PSG? The 22-year-old Portuguese, who arrived from Benfica Lisbon last summer, found the net again, Sunday April 21, against Olympique Lyonnais during the 30th day of Ligue 1. And rather twice than once , with a double achieved in nine minutes: with a powerful header (33rd) first, then with the tip of the foot while tackling (42nd).

With this double achievement, the Parisian striker brought his number of goals scored in the last nine championship matches to seven and to ten since the start of the season. Starting against Clermont on April 6, he had already saved his team from a defeat by equalizing in the 85th minute. Entering the game at the Vélodrome, the right-hander also increased the score at the end of the match (85th), on March 31.

The Portuguese thus confirms the positive dynamic in which he has found himself since the beginning of February, after much duller months. Yet expected after his 2022-2023 season at Benfica Lisbon with 22 goals, Gonçalo Ramos never saw his playing time take off within the prestigious Parisian squad. If he opened his account in Ligue 1 with a striking double against Marseille on September 24, the Neo-Parisian was not included in Luis Enrique’s game plan.

A dotted season

A violent intestinal virus in the depths of winter further delayed its rise to strength. “I had a difficult December. It started with a virus that turned into a colon infection. I spent twenty days bleeding and vomiting, unable to eat and with a very high fever. J “I ended up going to the hospital four or five times and was put on a drip. I lost eight kilos.” the player told the Portuguese newspaper in mid-March Record.

Established on average in four out of ten matches in the French championship, Gonçalo Ramos is rarely part of the starting lineup for key matches. Illustration of this dotted season, the striker remained on the bench during the Coupe de France semi-final against Rennes. But in recent weeks, the player has taken advantage of a favorable situation to find the field more often with Kylian Mbappé on the start and a busy schedule of deadlines for PSG.

“He has an iron will, unfailing ambition”

Despite spending less time on the pitch, the young Portuguese is not unworthy with 10 goals now, which makes him PSG’s second top scorer of the season (Kylian Mbappé has 24 goals). “His figures are good, he has an iron will, unfailing ambition, greeted his coach. He probably deserves more playing time, but it’s a very high level club and I’m quite comfortable with this idea of ​​players sharing playing time.” Pointing out his great maturity for his young age, the Parisian technician also assured that he was certain that he “[continuerait] to have opportunities” to shine.

Black point, with an even more reduced playing time in the Champions League (148 minutes, including only five during the final phase), Gonçalo Ramos has remained silent for the moment in the European competition. But if his presence in the starting lineup is far from certain for the semi-final against Dortmund, the Portuguese international continues to score points for the future on the French pitches.