Former Chelsea midfielder Ramires looked unrecognisable upon his return to Cobham training ground during the international break. The Brazilian has had quite the makeover since he swapped the Premier League for the Chinese Super League nine years ago.
Ramires was one of several Chelsea cult heroes to return to the club's base in Surrey on Friday. The 37-year-old was joined by John Obi Mikel, Claude Makelele, William Gallas, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Roberto Di Mateo.
The latter, who was spotted with a whistle in his mouth, relished the role of manager, while the others laced up their boots and donned the Blues' training gear. 'Chelsea Legends' will face 'Liverpool legends' at Anfield on Saturday afternoon, raising money for the Chelsea Foundation and the Chelsea Players’ Trust.
Shortly after the training session, Ramires took the opportunity to snap some pictures with former colleagues. Captioning his post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Brazilian wrote: "Today I had the pleasure of training again at Cobham and reuniting with great friends I made while defending Chelsea. Tomorrow is game day for Chelsea Legends! Come on, Blues!"
Despite having retired nearly three years ago, Ramires remains a greatly respected and fondly remembered figure in the club's history. He earned a move to Benfica from Cruzeiro in July 2009 and, after only a year in the Portuguese top flight, he attracted interest from Stamford Bridge.
In the summer of 2010, Ramires joined Chelsea in a deal worth £17m. The former midfielder made 251 appearances for the Blues, scoring 34 goals and providing 17 assists while winning the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League and Europa League.
After briefly featuring in Jose Mourinho's terrible start to the 2015/16 campaign, Ramires, who had only penned a new four-year contract in October, was sold to Jiangsu Suning in January for £25m. After three years in China, the Brazilian returned to his homeland in 2019.
Ramires joined Palmeiras, but his time the Allianz Parque came to an abrupt end. In November 2020, he and the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract. The former Blues never found himself a new club, but he didn't formally retire until a few months later.
Paying tribute to friends, family, former colleagues and clubs in an emotional statement on social media, Ramires 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.
"To my relatives, mother, children, brothers and true friends, thank you so much for being by my side unconditionally all these years, vibrating for each achievement of mine as if it were yours, which has always been my greatest strength and motivation.
"I'm going to go in other directions, but with the same happiness and courage I've had since I was a child, when, against all expectations, I left my city in the interior of Rio de Janeiro to win the world. Thanks for everything, football!"
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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