The 38-year-old looks completely different to his Chelsea and Benfica days
Former Chelsea star Ramires looks like a completely different person almost a decade on from his unexpected move to China. The Brazilian arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2010 from Portuguese side Benfica, who are preparing to visit west London in the Champions League.
Ramires began his career in his native Brazil, emerging as a budding talent for Cruzeiro before moving to Portugal. A fee of £18.3million brought him from Lisbon to London 15 years ago and he won essentially all there is to win in English football, including the Premier League and UEFA's two premier competitions.
The 38-year-old turned some heads when he accepted a move to Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning in January 2016, at the age of 28. He transferred for a then-league record £25m and later played for Palmeiras before retiring in 2022.
His move to China isn't the only instance when Ramires has shocked fans. In March this year, pictures emerged of the Brazilian returning to Cobham and reuniting with ex-team-mates, and his appearance took many aback.
Posing with staff and former colleague John Obi Mikel, Ramires posted a picture to social media with the caption: "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!"
During his playing days, Ramires often sported a short head of hair, occasionally even shaving it all off. But since hanging up his boots, he has opted to grow it out. Accompany this look with a host of tattoos that were rarely displayed when he took to the pitch and many fans were unable to recognise him when these pictures surfaced.
Since his time in west London, Ramires has spoken out about his 2016 move to the Chinese Super League. Many accused the midfielder of making the move for the money, but he has shut down such claims.
"I see a lot of people saying that I came to China just for the money, but that's not true," he has said in the past. "If you look at the situation I was going through at Chelsea at the time of the transfer you will see that I was [Guus] Hiddink's last option in my position.
"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."
Now, another two of Ramires' former sides, Chelsea and Benfica, are set to do battle in the Champions League. Speaking earlier this month, the 38-year-old opened up about one star he thinks can make an impact under Enzo Maresca.
Speaking about fellow countryman and young talent Estevao, who has appeared quite frequently for Chelsea this season, Ramires told Bolavip: "I believe he'll find the ideal environment to further develop, especially tactically, which is highly valued and demanded in England.
"I myself, when I went there, improved significantly in that regard. [The club will be] demanding a lot from the tactical side, so I believe this has already prepared him. I haven't had the opportunity to meet Estevao in person yet, but I can see he's a humble, hard-working guy with a lot of personality.
"When a team wins a title as important as the World Cup, the responsibility increases greatly. Chelsea has assembled a very strong and motivated squad. The hardest part isn't getting to the top, but staying there. I'll be rooting for everything to work out."