Ramos already proven the stronger candidate to lead talented Portugal side
When it was confirmed that Portugal had dropped Cristiano Ronaldo in place of Goncalo Ramos for their last-16 meeting with Switzerland, it was seen as a welcome reprieve. Ronaldo is arguably one of the games greatest strikers, but in time, he has become more a hindrance than a help for both club and country.
Playing in a side with Ronaldo leading the charge results in a more rigid attacking setup. Ronaldo has to be the main main and he won't move too far away from central areas, which minimises the fluidity of the frontline. And yet against Switzerland, the attack was freed from the shackles of the 37-year-old. Jonathan Wilson dropped the perfect metaphor for the sense of relief when it was announced the experienced hitman would start from the bench in this week's episode of Edge of the Box.
In his place came the inexperienced Ramos. Previously linked with a Premier League switch, Benfica retained Ramos' services following the departure of Darwin Nunez for Liverpool and while the 21-year-old did struggle for consistency in Liga Bwin last season - he collected just two fewer yellow cards (5) than he scored league goals (7) - the youngster is maximising his chance to lead the charge for the Eagles.
When presented with the opportunity to spearhead the attack for the national team at Ronaldo's expense, Ramos grabbed the chance with both hands, and there are no signs that he'll be letting go anytime soon.
Used from the bench late on against Ghana and Uruguay, Ramos didn't let a lack of game time in Qatar impact his performance as he netted in the 17th, 51st and 67th minute in Portugal's thumping 6-1 win over the Swiss, becoming the youngest male player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup knockout match since Pele managed the feat in 1958. Not bad for a player who'd mustered just 23 minutes of international football prior to his call up for Fernando Santos' Portugal squad for Qatar.
Few could have foreseen such a rise to stardom in such a short space of time for Ramos, who did struggle in the shadow of Nunez last season. Indeed, Ramos was often deployed as a more withdrawn forward for Benfica, with five of his 17 starts coming in the number 10 role, so of course playing out of his favoured striking position, coupled with Nunez's superb form, meant goals were hard to come by.
Yet trusted to fill Nunez's boots, and they were big boots to fill, Ramos has thrived, with a conversion rate of 25% the joint-best in Liga Bwin this season. What is key for both club and country, though, is that he is more than willing to link up with teammates to aid the fluidity of the attack.
Ramos has returned an 81.8% pass success rate, an slight rise on Ronaldo's 76.5%, so there is a greater willingness to bring others into play to help with the build up rather than relying on chances being thrown his way in the 18-yard box. As such, it's little shock that Ramos is making more key passes per 90 (2.1) at the 2022 World Cup than Ronaldo (1.1).
While he may not have been regularly getting on the end of opportunities last season as he is in 2022/23, a stint in support of the forward has been beneficial for Ramos, whose all-round attacking game as developed as a result, and we're now seeing a more effective forward to benefit the exceptional support cast in the Portugal side.
Against a resolute Morocco outfit on Saturday afternoon, a more well-rounded forward, and one capable of playing intricate passes with teammates in the final third, could prove Portugal's best route to goal. Spain passed and passed and passed their way to a last-16 exit to the Atlas Lions in midweek, largely because they didn't have a striker capable of putting the ball in the back of the net. By the time Alvaro Morata was introduced on the hour-mark, Morocco had already established their resolve, which ultimately resulted in La Roja's World Cup exit.
Ramos has the ability to both play his part in the build up and get on the end of chances, and this is what Spain lacked in their last-16 tie. Morocco won't be pushovers, as they have proven during their time in Qatar - they are yet to concede a goal scored by an opposition player after all - yet in turn; they are yet to face a truly consistent attack. Ramos, despite his inexperience on the international stage, can use that to his advantage to fire Portugal to the semi-finals of the World Cup this weekend.
