Change the shirt and suddenly forget how to play football? That may be a little harsh, but some AC Milan supporters were probably thinking along those lines after Goncalo Ramos' another disappointing performance in the Rossoneri's 1-1 draw with Sassuolo.The Portuguese striker arrived at San Siro in the last transfer window with a point to prove. After spending much of his time at Paris Saint-Germain in the shadow of other stars, he wanted to show he deserved a bigger role and could deliver consistently at the highest level.##LINKED_NEWS_69809##So far, he has certainly been consistent. Just not in the way Milan expected from a striker who cost €74 million.Ramos has scored only once since joining the club, against Venezia at the end of August in a game remembered for a series of glaring misses. He himself wasted several promising opportunities before finally breaking the deadlock. More than a month later, that remains his only goal in a Rossoneri shirt.After that match, the 25-year-old played five more games across competitions without scoring, with Ruben Amorim keeping him on the pitch for virtually every minute. The international break offers some context for the length of his drought, but does little to ease concerns about his contribution in front of goal.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Against Sassuolo, Ramos was practically invisible. The timing made matters worse: just a day earlier, Christopher Nkunku, the forward who had to leave to make room for Ramos at San Siro, had scored a hat-trick against Eintracht Frankfurt.No wonder Milan fans have embraced the nickname 'Ghostalo'.The striker's struggles have also revived talk of Milan's supposed No.9 curse. Over the past decade and a half, a long list of forwards have failed to live up to expectations, including Andre Silva, Gonzalo Higuain, Krzysztof Piatek and Luka Jovic. Olivier Giroud, however, proved that the curse can be broken. Quality, and a team capable of bringing it out, still matter more than the number on a shirt. That's where Ramos deserves some sympathy.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 Goncalo Ramos for AC Milan: – 0 Goals in last 5 games https://t.co/HIZaTygsCf</p>— Baller HQ (@FootballerHQ) <a href="https://x.com/FootballerHQ/status/2109343928130449706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##Amorim's Milan have yet to look like genuine Scudetto contenders, while the Portuguese forward has shown a very different side of himself on international duty, scoring three goals in three starts for Portugal. With Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Joao Felix and Pedro Neto around him, he has looked far more dangerous.The numbers from his Sassuolo outing also raise questions about Milan's approach. Ramos managed only 14 passes and 34 touches in more than 90 minutes, suggesting a striker struggling to get involved as much as one struggling to finish chances.22.00: (2.75) Levante (3.20) Sevilla (2.65)Amorim, at least publicly, is not panicking."I'm not worried about Goncalo Ramos. He is doing an excellent job. We need to improve as a team. If we improve as a team, everyone will score more goals," the Milan coach said after the draw.Teammate Diego Moreira also defended the club's most expensive signing, insisting that the work Ramos does away from the ball is often overlooked."I'm very happy for him because he has scored a lot of goals for the national team. People talk a lot, but they don't see all the work he does for the team. He presses a lot and holds the ball up when we need him to," the Belgian said.##LINKED_NEWS_69823##Ramos has covered more ground than any other player across Milan's previous six league matches, but that statistic will only buy him so much goodwill. At the end of the season, strikers are judged primarily on goals – and right now, his tally is nowhere near enough to silence the critics.The presence of 18-year-old Francesco Camarda means Ramos is unlikely to face an immediate threat to his place up front. But patience is a precious commodity in modern football, especially when a club has invested so heavily in a player.SERIE A – MATCHDAY 6SaturdayGenoa – Fiorentina 2-1 (2-0)/Osmajic 7, Messias 15 – Vasquez 73 og/Inter – Parma 3-0 (3-0)/Sucic 13, Calhanoglu 18 pen, Thuram 31/Napoli – Frosinone 3-0 (2-0)/De Bruyne 29 pen, 90+4, Lang 32/SundayComo – Roma 0-0Lazio – Monza 3-1 (2-0)/Tavares 3, Isaksen 23, Pinamonti 88 – Goglichidze 46/Lecce – Bologna 1-2 (0-1)/Fatah 64 – Orsolini 17, Enem 75/Sassuolo – Milan 1-1 (0-0)/Odenthal 68 – Rabiot 63/Cagliari – Juventus 1-1 (1-0)/Maldini 20 – Kolo Muani 81/Monday19.30: (1.55) Atalanta (4.20) Venezia (5.90)21.45: (2.35) Torino (3.30) Udinese (3.10)***odds are subject to change***##SOFASCORE_<iframe id="sofa-standings-embed-33-95836" src="https://widgets.sofascore.com/embed/tournament/33/season/95836/standings?widgetTitle=Serie+A&showCompetitionLogo=true&widgetTheme=light" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important; height:1123px!important;max-width:768px!important;"></iframe><div style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;text-align:left"> Standings provided by <a target="_blank" href="https://sofascore.com/">Sofascore</a> </div>##
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