Gustavo Varela Steals the Spotlight from Cristiano Ronaldo: Jorge Jesus Weighs In

Gustavo Varela is off to a sensational start to the season, and the Portuguese press is taking note: The Monza forward, who also scored a brace against Cagliari, has already surpassed the seven goals he scored last season while playing for Gil Vicente and has netted nine goals in nine matches across club and Under-21 national team action. Varela is also the Portuguese player competing in a top-tier European league who has scored the most goals this season.

His performances—as highlighted by the Portuguese sports daily “O Jogo”— – continue to attract the attention of Jorge Jesus: the Monza striker hopes to earn a call-up to Portugal’s senior national team—where there is great fondness for Monza, partly due to the presence of Dany Mota and Ricardo Mangas—for the November Nations League matches.

Against the Sardinians, in the 4-0 win that secured Monza’s second league victory, Varela was also decisive as a playmaker. After Kouadio opened the scoring in the first half, Varela doubled the lead in the 47th minute with a right-footed shot across the goal off a pass from Ondoa. In the 66th minute, he then set up Robinson for the third goal, and in the 79th minute, he was quickest to react to the rebound off the post—which Robinson had hit—sealing the match. With these goals, he has now scored six in the league, and Monza has reached 7 points, three points above the relegation zone.

Coach Ivan Juric praised the forward but urged him not to rest on his laurels: “Varela is scoring goals and wants to improve a lot; he’s just getting started and there’s plenty of room for improvement. For now, I can only tell him ‘well done’ because every time he shoots, it’s a goal.”

As for the senior national team, Jorge Jesus will also have to decide on Cristiano Ronaldo’s return. The Portuguese Football Federation has sanctioned him with a 30-day suspension and a fine of 255 euros for leaving the training camp without authorization prior to the Nations League match against Denmark on October 1. The suspension, however, will end before the team’s next matches, so CR7 will be eligible to play in the final group stage games against Denmark and Wales.