Premier League-linked Goncalo Ramos may now be a ‘stronger’ option than Cristiano Ronaldo to lead the line for Portugal, former Benfica striker Rui Aguas tells Jornal de Noticias of the Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur target.
Those of you without an unhealthy obsession with Al Nassr’s number seven would probably have to agree.
Ramos, a whole 16 years’ Ronaldo’s junior, stepped in for the five-time Ballon D’Or winner against Switzerland at the Qatar World Cup and responded with a devastating hat-trick.
And with a further 24 goals and 10 assists at club level, if Ronaldo is a man rapidly approaching the end of the road, then Ramos’ own footballing journey is only just beginning.
Man United, Tottenham and Newcastle like Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos
“(Ramos has made) a huge leap,” says Aguas, a three-time Primeira Liga winner at Benfica.
“(He has) clear potential. Physical, technical, a guy who plays in the air like you don’t normally see nowadays. He’s very complete and he participates defensively. He is the player I most identify with since I stopped playing.”
As Manchester United fans will tell you, Ronaldo’s laser-like finishing ability no longer compensates for his lack of movement, his increasingly disjointed link play, and the feeling that – when out of possession – you are defending with a man light.
Ramos, who could step into Ronaldo’s shoes at Old Trafford, may not be the finished article. But the reported Tottenham and Newcastle target simply offers a wider range of attributes these days than a man who, during the 2022 World Cup, looked a fading shadow of his once fearsome self (Give Me Sport).
“Goncalo is stronger (than Ronaldo), because he fills much more space. He is a player with incredible mobility,” Aguias adds.
“In finishing, (Ronaldo) is above almost everyone in the world. Cristiano brings experience. Goncalo brings the physical freshness that gives him the possibility of being one more (to help out the defence), when the team loses the ball. That, Cristiano does not do.”
“I believe he will be transferred for around 120 million euros,” says Igor Korneev, the former Barcelona midfielder.
“If (Mykhaylo) Mudryk was bought for 100 million euros, then he is worth 200 million.”
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