Away from the lawns since last November when he broke his friendly contract with Palmeiras, Ramirez has also avoided talking about hanging his boots. At 34, the former Brazilian wants to continue playing in Brazil if possible.
“I am not retired, I am analyzing some situations. Some things have already appeared from afar, but I am not going to leave Brazil now. I have returned to my country after so many years of absence, I am stabilizing and doing something here. Much word of mouth, nothing official, from some businessmen. There is nothing specific here. Let’s see … “, – said an experienced midfielder in an interview Bigfootball…
In Verdau, Ramirez filmed Abel Ferreira, with whom he eventually developed a strong bond, especially in private. The Portuguese coach was instrumental in the mental work of the former Benfica and Chelsea player, who was psychologically affected by harsh criticism from fans on social media and therefore decided to cut the link (it lasted until 2023).
“I had a very open conversation with Abel before I quit. I had already made the decision to leave, so he immediately told me that he would support, regardless of the situation. He really wanted me to stay, but, unfortunately, he didn’t give me this anymore. After that, we still had a lot of conversations, especially during the Covid-19 outbreak in the squad. I was determined to leave, but Abel arrived and said, “Ramirez, if I need you to join the team, will you join? You play? With a good head? ” I replied, “Mister, if you need me, you can count on me. To play only the last minute of a match? I’m playing. I’ll come and play. I want to help, I am part of the group. ” Then I played a few games, always saying to him, “Come on, dude! Can! “”, – he explained.
“I received a lot of compliments from Abel, but I was already determined to leave and terminate the contract. He is a person who helped me a lot. He could have left me aside, not used me, but then maybe I left the club through the back door. He helped me out of Palmeiras through the front door. I left Palmeiras through the front door, ”he added.
The current champion of the Copa Libertadores and the Brazilian Cup, who recently took part in the Paulistau runner-up (he lost the final to Sao Paulo), Abel Ferreira, according to Ramirez, is “a professional of a huge nature.”
“It’s hard not to love Abel. He put together a quality team and brought together the best of the players. It helped me a lot in Palmeiras. We had several conversations, often frank and truthful. He is a professional of enormous character. We worked together for a while, but he admired me immensely. He knows a lot about football, he understands what Palmeiras is, he has a lot to do with the club’s recent success. In a short time, he realized a lot of interesting things, and the players knew how to understand everything, ”he concluded.
You can read more about Ramirez’s interview, in which the midfielder talks about Benfica, Jorge Jesus and Chelsea, in this weekend’s MF Total.