Goncalo Ramos remains stuck on one goal for the season, but his performance against Lecce told a different story from the scoresheet. According to Calciomercato.com, the Portuguese striker had a direct influence on all three of Milan's goals despite not finding the net himself.
For a player signed at a cost of €70m plus bonuses, four consecutive games without a goal or even a shot on target is a number that stands out. But the broader picture from Friday's win suggests Ramos is contributing in ways that don't show up in the goal column, and Ruben Amorim appears content with that trade-off for now.
The breakdown of each goal illustrates the point. For the opener, Ramos' movement into the attacking midfield zone dragged a marker away and freed Christian Pulisic to collect Strahinja Pavlović's pass. For the second, he combined with Adrien Rabiot before delivering a no-look assist to complete the move. And for the third, it was Ramos who won the ball back in midfield before Diego Moreira's solo run finished the job.
There was a telling moment on that second goal, too. Moreira chose to shoot rather than cut the ball back to an unmarked Ramos, and the striker's reaction was pure celebration. No frustration, no visible complaint.
Amorim addressed the topic with SportTV after the match. "It's normal, Ramos works hard, the goals will come," he said. "He's already scored, he's already provided an assist, and above all, he puts a lot of effort into the team. Today we were closer to him, and that's why he played better. So, it's a combination of both factors, but I'm very happy with Ramos."
The effort was reflected in the physical data. Ramos covered 11.6km against Lecce, nearly 2km more than he managed against Lazio in the previous round, a sign of a player working tirelessly to link play and press even when the goals are not arriving.
From here, it is up to Amorim to keep feeding Ramos minutes and trust that the finishing will follow the performances. The goals from open play will determine whether the €70m investment pays off in full, but as long as the team keeps scoring through his work, the coach has little reason to change course.