“Cristiano Ronaldo, of course.” Benfica forward Gonçalo Ramos is running through the list of his idols in the game, but that short phrase has served as the answer to innumerable football questions over the past few years. The all-time leading scorer in the Champions League? The record marksman on the international stage? Cristiano Ronaldo, of course.

The Portugal icon looms large in the history of the sport, but some new answers are now starting to emerge. Who, for example, is the youngest Portuguese player to score a double in a Champions League knockout match? And who recently became the first man for 20 years to score a hat-trick on his maiden World Cup start? Well, that would be Gonçalo Ramos. Of course.

For that second feat, the 21-year-old first had to replace his hero in a different way: in the mind of Portugal coach Fernando Santos, and subsequently on the pitch. Ramos had barely played more than 30 minutes for his country when Santos named him in the line-up to face Switzerland in the round of 16 at Qatar 2022, a bold decision that meant dropping Ronaldo to the bench. The young Benfica ace responded with three goals and an assist in a 6-1 victory, his finishes in turn emphatic, predatory and impish.

Many would have wilted due to the scale of the occasion, the responsibility and the global media glare – not to mention their displeased idol looking on from the sidelines. However, Ramos seems to thrive when the pressure dials are turned up. “A player without attitude, belief and confidence in what he wants and what he’s doing on the pitch is a longer way from the top,” he says. “Mentality guides everything. Without a good mindset, there’s no attitude. You won’t have the mind or the willingness to iron out the small details that need to be perfected.”

That mental fortitude helped make Ramos the answer to a conundrum at club level too, Benfica having tasked him with spearheading their attack this season following the departure of Darwin Núñez. The Olhão native has served the Eagles’ cause since the age of 12, notably finishing joint-top scorer in the 2019/20 UEFA Youth League and scoring twice in the final as Benfica lost 3-2 to Real Madrid. He also impressed as a second striker last term, but he is thrilled to be operating as the focal point of Roger Schmidt’s 4-2-3-1.