Gustavo Varela has enjoyed a fine start to life in Serie A, sitting top of the goalscoring charts.
The 21-year-old joined newly-promoted Monza in the summer from Benfica and has hit the ground running with nine goals in 10 league games. Varela’s form has earned him a first call-up for Portugal‘s senior side and fans will be hoping he has long-term success for club and country.
But who is the Monza striker?
In this article, we’ll cover:
Who is Gustavo Varela?
Varela is only 21 years old but he has had an interesting career to date. Born in Lisbon, Varela spent time in Sporting CP‘s academy before making the move to Greece aged 11, joining PAOK — while his father, Fernando Varela, was playing for the club. Varela remained with PAOK until 2022, returning to Lisbon, but this time signing for Benfica.
Varela spent four years with Benfica but only made one appearance for the first team, a 15-minute cameo at the end of the 2023/24 campaign. He spent a lot of his time playing for Benfica B as well as the youth teams, shining in the 2024/25 Uefa Youth League. The striker scored seven goals in seven games for Benfica, including a last-minute equaliser in the knockout stage match against AZ Alkmaar — though the Eagles lost on penalties.
He spent last season on loan with Gil Vicente, for his first real taste of senior club football, scoring six goals in 32 league games. The Portuguese star helped Gil Vicente to a sixth-placed finish, one of the best seasons in the club’s history. But that didn’t persuade Benfica to keep the 21-year-old, with Monza forking out just £1.7million to sign him in the summer.
Monza’s efficient striker
While Varela’s record at Gil Vicente last season was good, no one would have expected him to start as he has in Italy. He’s just two goals off his single-season league best return, but even then his 11 goals in 2024/25 came for Benfica B in Portugal’s second-tier.
Varela’s nine goals this season have come from 5.12 Expected Goals, the second-most in Serie A this season. He also ranks second for his post-shot xG of 7.24. Donyell Malen is the only player above him in both metrics. But the difference between Varela’s xG and post-shot xG is very impressive, at +1.61. It’s the third-best in Serie A and just shows how good his finishing is, that he’s improving his chances of scoring based on shot placement.
But that’s not the most- mpressive thing. Varela’s nine Serie A goals this season have come from just 28 shots, 14 of which have hit the target. The striker has needed just 3.11 shots per goal in Serie A this season, among the best records for those with more than two goals in the league.
In general, Varela doesn’t need much time on the ball to test opposition goalkeepers. He’s averaging a shot every 10.18 touches, with 18.25% of his touches coming in the opposition box. While he’s not a world-beater with those numbers, it’s very impressive for someone his age to be achieving in a new league.
Ronaldo’s replacement?
All of the talk surrounding Portugal in the international break has been Cristiano Ronaldo‘s retirement. The men’s all-time leading international goalscorer called time on this part of his career after scoring 146 goals in 234 games for Portugal. Ronaldo had started to be phased out of the national team, and Jorge Jesus was the one to make the big call in looking to the future.
Goncalo Ramos has been the main focus for Ronaldo replacements as the man to have taken his place in the starting lineup. And he will no doubt be first-choice for the time being. But the AC Milan man hasn’t been consistent enough at club level, so the door could open for Varela.
When comparing the two strikers this season, there’s one clear winner. Varela bests Ramos in all the key goalscoring metrics per 90, including shots, shots on target, goals and conversion rate. And although Ramos wins on assists, Varela has created more chances. In general, Varela has been better on the ball, with 0.95 take-ons completed per 90 and 5.51 touches in the opposition box. All while playing in the same league, against the same systems.
Varela also has a decent record at youth level for Portugal. He scored four goals in seven games for Portugal’s Under-21s side to help them qualify for next year’s European Championships. The 21-year-old shouldn’t have the main goalscoring responsibilities thrust on him straight away. But he’s certainly done enough to warrant a long look in the team.