Premier League cult hero looks unrecognisable eight years after leaving England
Former Chelsea and Brazil midfielder Ramires looks almost unrecognisable from his playing days.
The 36-year-old, who made 251 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 34 times, went on to play for Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning.
After spending three season in China, the Brazilian returned to his homeland in 2019, where he would feature for Sao Paulo-based outfit Palmeiras.
But his time at the Allianz Parque came to an abrupt end the following year after his contract was terminated by mutual consent.
Advert
With a host of honours to his name, including a Premier League and Champions League trophy win, Ramires announced his retirement in 2022.
Taking to social media, he wrote: "After some time of reflection, I would like to announce that I have decided to officially end my career as a professional football player.
"At this point, I can only thank God first as he has trained and led me to the highest levels that sport can offer. Thank you very much also to all the clubs I've passed: Palmeiras, Benfica, Chelsea, Cruzeiro, Jiangsu and Joinville Esporte Clube.
"I will always carry you and your fans in my heart. Gratitude also to the Brazilian National Football Team who provided me the pleasure of playing in two World Cups, which was the realisation of a dream.
"I am thankful also to all the teammates, staff, coaches and managers that I had the pleasure of working with."
Ramires also said he was going to go in "other directions" after hanging up his boots, and judging by his Instagram page, the midfielder is enjoying life with his family.
He also returned to the pitch this month to play in an All-Star game.
Ramires has previously denied joining Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning for only the financial gain.
"I see a lot of people saying that I came to China just for the money, but that's not true," he told GOAL.
"If you look at the situation I was going through at Chelsea at the time of the transfer you will see that I was Hiddink's last option in my position and this was frustrating me a lot. The situation was only getting worse and at that moment came the interest of the Chinese club.
"Jiangsu introduced me to a long-term project where I would be a key player, they offered me everything I could think of and more, and I decided together with my agent and family that this would be the best decision.
"The money issue weighed on the decision, I put it on the scale that I am already 29 years old and that an irrefutable opportunity like this may never come again. But the way things were happening at Chelsea was the main reason."
Topics: Premier League, Chelsea, Chinese Super League, Brazil
Jack Kenmare