Gonçalo Ramos ticks every necessary parameter to become a top class number 9. He has the athleticism, work rate, determination/confidence to score, ability to strike the ball, central positioning, and finally technical quality to link play & create space where necessary.
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THREAD.
His gait and carrying style is similar to Timo Werner but he's a far better player than Werner because of his comfortability in central areas and general quality. He's an emphatic finisher and a ruthless ball-striker on both feet whilst also being clean and sharp technically.
Ramos does drift wide & run into the channels to offer himself as an outlet which is an extremely positive trait because it makes him a well-rounded centre forward who can get his team up the pitch & be threatening in transition, but he's primarily a focal point, a traditional #9
In the era of positional play, this is a necessary trait for a centre forward without superstar qualities (Mbappé or Messi). Most of the goals Gonçalo has scored to date are tap ins because of that, but the most impressive thing about his profile is his ruthless ball-striking.
We all saw *THAT* goal against Switzerland with his weaker left foot in the World Cup, & his stronger right foot is unsurprisingly similarly devastating. He can also curl the ball with his instep into the top corner from wide areas, meaning Gonçalo can score *ALL* types of goals.
Tap ins, ruthless finishes from in and around the box on both feet, and curling efforts into the top corner from wide. He does it all, and that technical quality also translates to his link play which is often sharp and concise. His feet are also quick enough to create a yard.
His balance of showing to feet & running in behind is optimal. It means his team can use him as a focal point in front of & in behind the opposition defence, & that's a nightmare to defend against due to that unpredictability, especially because he has the speed to break free too
Ramos isn't lightening quick nor is he a squeaky clean dribbler, though, but he's quick enough to accelerate free from his man and each of those qualities aren't necessary to become an elite centre forward. Completeness ≠ optimal performance. Just look at Kane, Shearer, Aguero.
None of those guys had lightening speed in transition, but what they could do was create a yard of space for themselves and be competent enough physically, technically, and mentally to deal with defenders being aggressive in the duel against them. Gonçalo is the same.
Ramos has that bite about him to be aggressive when pressing and tracking back but also to challenge for duels regularly, & the fact that he's 6'0 means he's competent in those actions whilst also having quick feet & general operation speed in central areas. THAT = effectiveness.
In fact, Gonçalo Ramos doesn't care for dribbling, much like the aforementioned Premier League legends. He has the quality to create space to utilise his ball-striking skills and get shots off and that's the way the elites operate. #9's aren't creators - they want to score goals.
Even off the back of his link play it's clear he doesn't want to drift wide to get touches. He prefers to attack the box and attack the space either side of the two goalposts where he's most likely to receive a pass from a teammate in a dangerous area.
He's a #9 at heart.
He's a #9 at heart.
That makes him a focal point, & it makes him a goal threat in all types of situations. You want somebody who can get the team up the pitch in transition by running the channels or by being a central target men to 'hit', or do you want a #9 in the box vs a low block? He's both.
All of those qualities in tandem with the fact that he works really hard and still has sufficient dribbling quality and speed to complement his ball-striking on both feet, is an optimal profile for a #9, has determination/confidence to score, & unwavering work rate? And just 21..
The fact that he also attacks the box with such aggression and regularity whilst being 6'0 also means he's a top aerial threat too. However, despite all of these excellent qualities and clear potential he possesses, Ramos is very inexperienced. This is his first season in the #9.
That combined with the fact that Benfica want at least double that of what PSV want for Gakpo who is similarly excellent (although less so of a #9 than Ramos which potentially means he's the worst option in the long-run), means United should wait for a larger sample size to occur
I'm one of the biggest advocates of judging quality over outcome but when there's such a limited sample size available and the quality of the player isn't so obvious that he's the next guaranteed superstar (Haaland, Messi, Mbappé), then the smart thing to do would be to wait.
Although I have said that Ramos strikes through the ball on both feet, he hasn't replicated it massively often because he's only played 20 or so games so far this season, half of them being in the World Cup and Champions League. We need to see him continue this rich vein of form.
Why? So we can get a bigger sample size of the qualities he possesses. Timo Werner and Raheem Sterling have scored goals from outside the box which suggest that they may have top quality ball-striking, but over a large sample size it's clear that's not the case.
By the end of the season it will be clear whether Gonçalo Ramos has the quality to play for the elites and when considering the price tag is already astronomically high, Manchester United would be better to wait to assure that he's ready to be a big money signing for a big club.
I expect that Ramos will become a top class #9 when assessing the qualities he possesses relative to what's important for his position, but the small sample size and price tag means he's not a realistic option for a club to take a gamble on just yet.
Watch this space, though.
Watch this space, though.
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