Nine years after leaving Chelsea to join Jiangsu Suning, Ramires looks unrecognisable. The former Blues midfielder has had quite the transformation since he swapped the Premier League for the Chinese Super League by embracing a new look.

A video of Ramires, with a full head of hair, has emerged on social media after recently appearing on the 'Podfalando Podcast'. The 37-year-old, who donned a short-sleeve shirt showing tattoos which were rarely on show during his playing career, was brought onto the show to discuss his meteoric rise to superstardom.

Ramires was quizzed on how he first made a name for himself in Barra do Piraí, Rio de Janeiro, before joining Cruzeiro Esporte Clube in the Brazilian top flight. His segment on the podcast, which was clipped and uploaded to Instagram, tallied over 2,000 likes and nearly 100 comments.

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One user, who goes by @ivan_amais, heaped great praise on Ramires. They posted: "Just leave out the comments ... There's no one who isn't a fan of this humidity in person [trophy and praying emoji]."

Despite having retired nearly three years ago, Ramires clearly remains a greatly respected – and fondly remembered – figure in the sport. The Brazilian earned a move to Benfica from Cruzeiro in July 2009 and, after just 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 Jose Mourinho's disastrous 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. In an official statement on Instagram, the former Chelsea star wrote: "As most of you probably already know, Palmeiras' management and I decided that it would be good for both parties to end my contract with the club, which happened in the most amicable and peaceful way possible.

"My motivations are personal and related to situations that I prefer not to discuss at this time. I am here simply to thank Palmeiras, the entire management, for the professional and correct way in which they treated me, and my teammates for their friendship, affection and respect.

"I could not fail to express at this time my special gratitude to coach Abel Ferreira for everything he did for me in the short time we were together. Thank you for allowing me to show that with consistency and confidence I can add value wherever I play in the future. I will be rooting for everything to go well for the club in the rest of the season. A big hug and may God be with you all."

Ramires didn't find himself a new club, but he didn't formally retire. In March 2022, he became an ambassador for the youth teams of his childhood club, Joinville Sports Club, signalling the end of his playing career.

Then, a few months later, Ramires officially announced his retirement from football, where he paid tribute to friends, family, former colleagues and clubs in an emotional statement. He said: "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.

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"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,’ the post continues.

"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!"