Who is Goncalo Ramos? Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement scores inside 20 minutes vs Swiss

Goncalo Ramos was a surprise inclusion in Portugal’s starting XI, replacing the dropped Cristiano Ronaldo, and made his mark within 20 minutes having continued to flourish at club level with Benfica

Goncalo Ramos scored Portugal’s opener against Switzerland

For many people Goncalo Ramos will now be known as the man who replaced the dropped Cristiano Ronaldo and scored within 20 minutes for Portugal.

The forward had only won a matter of caps for his country prior to his surprise inclusion against Switzerland. Ronaldo’s reaction to being hooked against South Korea angered manager Fernando Santos, who opted to hand the 21-year-old a start in the last 16 clash with Switzerland.

Ramos had only bagged one international goal, which came in a friendly win over Nigeria, but has doubled that total with his thunderous strike against the Swiss. He is currently enjoying his best season to date with Benfica, scoring 14 times in 21 outings for the Portuguese outfit.

The forward is becoming a key figure for Benfica

The 21-year-old scored eight times in 46 games last term for Benfica, including a strike at Anfield, and has continued to flourish in the first-team picture. Santos included the youngster in his squad and said on his selections: “Our list was based on the players’ qualities and potential, on what each one of them can offer to our system.”

Ramos made his first-team debut on July 21 2020, coming on as an 85th minute sub, scoring twice in just eight minutes. That year he also excelled in the in the UEFA Youth League as he helped Benfica reach the final, where they lost to Real Madrid, although he finished as joint-top scorer with eight goals.

Last term Ramos found minutes at a premium with Roman Yaremchuk and Darwin Núñez ahead of him in the pecking order, which led to him pondering a January exit. However, interim manager Nélson Veríssimo, who arrived in January, had coached Ramos in the B side and immediately made him a regular.

Goncalo Ramos has replaced Cristiano Ronaldo already in the World Cup

In August this year Ramos bagged his first career hat-trick in a 4–1 home win over Midtjylland in Champions League qualifying. He’s since helped the Portuguese side top their Champions League group, overcoming PSG, whom they twice drew with.

Ramos has also long been earmarked on the international scene, making his way through the youth ranks. He was part of the Portugal side that finished runners-up to Spain at the U19 Euros in Armenia in 2019. He was the top scorer with four goals in five appearances, which included a hat-trick in a 4–0 win against the Republic of Ireland.

He won his first U21 cap in November 2020 and helped his country reach the final of the U21 Euros a year later. In September this year Ramos was called up to the senior team for the first time and scored on his debut against Nigeria.