Who is Ramires?
There is one Brazilian whose name has been plastered all over the back pages this week and it’s not Ronaldinho, Robinho or Maicon.
Ramires Santo do Nascimento, Ramires as he is commonly known, is about to become a household name.
When we first read the reports that super spenders Manchester City and Chelsea were bidding £20 million for a player of whom we had only cursory knowledge, we were gobsmacked. So who is Ramires?
Twenty-three year old Ramires is an all-action central midfielder who currently plies his trade for Benfica in the Portuguese first division. He joined Benfica from Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro for 7.5m Euros in May 2009 on a five-year deal. He marked his first season in Europe by winning the Portuguese League and the Portuguese League Cup.
So what? He’s won a bit of silverware. But why are Roman Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour willing to splash the cash on a player who’s only played one season in the top flight? For starters, one of the critical obstacles to Ramires making his ‘dream’ move to England come true is his staggering 30m Euro minimum fee release clause. Only a year ago Benfica had the foresight to perceive Ramires as being a valuable asset (even before he had kicked a ball in jest) so they have every right to hold out for their desired price.
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