It has been six years since Ramires last played for Chelsea and the squad has undergone a huge transformation in that time - and apparently, so has the Brazilian.

While he has been rarely seen by Blues fans since his departure in January 2016, Ramires appeared in a recent compilation video on the club's official Instagram page with a striking new look. The club had received messages of support from former players such as Willian, Cesc Fabregas and Michael Essien, with Ramires joining the well wishes.

And the 35-year-old, sporting a raised new hairstyle and neatly-trimmed goatee, said: "Hi guys, Ramires here. Just wanted to wish you [the] best of luck before the FA Cup final," he said. "Let's have a repeat of our final win 10 years ago against Liverpool! Good luck guys!"

It represents a new look for the veteran footballer after sporting a shiny, bald look for the majority of his time at Stamford Bridge. Sadly, his message of support did little to help Chelsea's fortunes after their 6-5 penalty shootout defeat to Liverpool on Saturday.

It was a rare appearance from the ex-Chelsea man after spending the final years of his career in China in Brazil. He secured a lucrative move to Jiangsu Suning six years ago for around £25million and left with cult hero status after winning the Champions League, Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup during his time in west London.

He scored some crucial goals throughout the years for the Blues, but perhaps none more so than his delightful chip against Barcelona at Camp Nou, which set Chelsea on course for the Champions League final. He also netted against Liverpool in the 2011-12 FA Cup final with a powerful strike.

The midfielder is still without a club after leaving Palmeiras in November 2020 and it was expected that he was going to retire, although there has been no official announcement from the former Brazil international on that front.

He even made a surprising declaration that he wanted to return to Chelsea before the end of his career in 2018: “Chelsea? I’ll always have special affection for them and I want to play for them again before finishing my career," he said. "I know the doors of Stamford Bridge will always be open to me and that wearing their jersey again would be spectacular.”

However, there has been no call from Thomas Tuchel yet to summon Ramires back to the club and it doesn't seem likely there will be one forthcoming. But Chelsea fans will always remember Ramires fondly and for the tireless efforts the midfielder used to produce while wearing the blue shirt, although they may have some trouble identifying him after his recent makeover.

ogbiwa:


https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/ramires-chelsea-new-hair-goatee-26970403

ogbiwa:


https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/ramires-chelsea-new-hair-goatee-26970403

ArchiLimited:
God forgive me but we used to call him "mai ruwa" during his Chelsea days and you can clearly see why from the first 2 photos. He's clearly no mai ruwa now. God has been good.

lexy2014:

how is this "totally unrecognisable"?

Hdhdhd:
Man don bleach up