Goncalo Ramos has announced himself on the international stage after scoring a hat-trick for Portugal against Switzerland. The Portuguese forward replaced Cristiano Ronaldo in the team after Fernando Santos dropped the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
The forward had only won a few international caps for his country prior to his shock inclusion against the Swiss. Ronaldo's reaction to being substituted against South Korea angered the Portugal manager, who instead opted to hand the 21-year-old a rare start.
Chelsea could do with attacking reinforcements in the January transfer window with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Armando Broja and Kai Havertz struggling in front of goal. Arsenal's star striker Gabriel Jesus could be out until February following his medial cruciate ligament injury, with the Brazilian having undergone successful surgery as he begins his rehabilitation.
READ MORE: Why Cristiano Ronaldo has been dropped by Portugal against Switzerland in World Cup 2022
Following his hat-trick, the 21-year-old was replaced by Ronaldo as Santos handed the former Manchester United star the chance to break his goal drought in the World Cup knockout stages. Ramos scored eight times in 46 games last term for Benfica, including a strike at Anfield in the Champions League, and has continued to flourish in the first-team picture.
Ramos made his first-team debut in July 2020, coming on as an 85th-minute sub and scoring twice in just eight minutes. In the same year he excelled in the UEFA Youth League, as he helped Benfica reach the final where they lost to Real Madrid, finishing the tournament as the joint-top scorer with eight goals.
Ramos found minutes hard to come by at Benfica with Roman Yaremchuk and Darwin Núñez ahead of him in the pecking order, but is now a regular starter for the Portuguese outfit. His performance against Switzerland in the World Cup has left Chelsea and Arsenal fans alike purring at the possibility of signing the 21-year-old forward.
The 21-year-old's contract is set to expire in 2026 and Benfica have a habit of selling their talented strikers for a premium. Joao Felix, Ramos' compatriot, left the club for £113million in 2019 before Darwin Nunez left for a fee in the region of £85million to join Liverpool earlier this year.
Earlier this year, Ramos bagged his first career hat-trick in a 4–1 home win over Midtjylland in Champions League qualifying and helped Benfica top their Champions League group which included Paris Saint-Germain. The Portuguese talent has scored 14 goals and registered a further six assists in 21 appearances for his club as fans now demand that he secures a move to the Premier League in January.
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