“A big moment” - England attacker lauds Gonçalo Ramos’ Portugal hat-trick against Switzerland
England forward Marcus Rashford has showered praise on Portugal striker Goncalo Ramos, who is enjoying a breakout campaign at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Ramos, 21, made his first-ever start for Selecao das Quinas in a 6-1 demolition of Switzerland in the last 16 on Tuesday, 6 December.
The Benfica frontman came into the side as Cristiano Ronaldo's replacement after Fernando Santos dropped the former Manchester United attacker.
With a ton of pressure on his shoulders, Ramos prevailed, scoring a memorable hat-trick - the first any player has managed at this year's FIFA World Cup.
Ramos is also the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the knockout stages of the international tournament since Portuguese icon Pele in 1958.
He has already surpassed Ronaldo for goals scored in the knockout rounds of the World Cup.
Rashford was holding a Q & A with England's official YouTube channel when he praised the Portuguese youngster.
He said:
"I don’t think that lad has had many starts for Portugal, so it’s a big moment for him. I’m obviously happy for him! I think he played well in the game so he deserves it.”
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Excelente jogo e vitória 💪🏼
@Goncalo88Ramos chuta que chutas bem 👏🏼😅 https://t.co/Ax1i554FPa
Ramos only made his senior debut for the Portugal national team in a November friendly against Nigeria.
He scored and assisted in a 4-0 victory over the African side.
The Benfica striker's stock is rising, and Rashford's Manchester United are looking for a new forward following Ronaldo's departure.
CBS journalist Ben Jacobs claims Ramos has a £103.5m (€120m) release clause in his contract.
However, Benfica were willing to sell the Portuguese for around £38.9m (€45m) during the summer.
England hero Stuart Pearce believes Ronaldo has no chance of starting for Portugal in their quarter-final clash with Morocco
Portugal face Morocco on Saturday, 10 December, in their quarter-final clash, with the chance to meet either England or France in the semi-finals at stake.
Speculation grows over Ronaldo's involvement in the clash with Les Lions after Santos dropped him for Ramos against Switzerland.
The Portuguese great came on in the second half of the victory.
However, Ramos' performance has led many to anticipate that he will once again be benched against Morocco.
Fernando Santos on Cristiano Ronaldo:
"There is no problem with our captain. We've been friends for years. We spoke before the game and he had no issue with my decision. He’s an example." 👏🇵🇹 https://t.co/vzGNMXq8TQ
Ronaldo has scored one goal in four appearances from the penalty spot in a 3-2 victory over Ghana.
Former England captain Pearce believes that Santos has no choice but to start Ramos over Ronaldo, telling talkSPORT:
"Santos has got absolutely no chance of bringing Ronaldo back. Ramos has just scored a hat-trick, it would be absolute folly to not play him.”
He continued,
“The only bigger stage is the next round for him. I think he’s a definite starter. You can’t leave him out after that. They look a better side.”