Chelsea midfielder Ramires has spoken about his affection of Portuguese club Benfica, who introduced him to European football after his move from native Brazil, and said that he would like to return one day to the club that possessed a great history and a great manager.
The Blues have been shrewd in their business of buying midfielders over the past few seasons. The club has seen switching of various different managers, each of whom has brought in players whom they believe are good enough to take the club in the right direction. The result has been new manager Jose Mourinho taking over a squad which has talented midfielders all over the squad. Frank Lampard, who was an integral part of Mourinho’s squad during his first stint at the club, is still also present and performing at the highest level despite his age. The purchase of Eden Hazard has truly taken Chelsea to another level, with the tricky winger using his bag of skills and quick feet to create chances regardless of the opposition. Juan Mata has also been a find for the club, and the player who has been winning the club’s player of the season award for the past two seasons, has been consistent in his performances over last season, and is set to return to Mourinho’s squad after an initial injury layoff in pre-season. The addition of Willian, another attacking midfielder from Anzhi Makhachkala also provides Chelsea with an additional option to switch styles. Marco van Ginkel has made various appearances from the bench for Mourinho so far, and looks to be in the thick of things at the minute.
Meanwhile, the defensive midfield is controlled very well by Ramires, a player who has transformed his game to adjust to the Barclays Premier League. His newfound love to attack with his limitless pace and quick feet make him a difficult player to handle for the opposition. The 26-year old just played 26 matches for Benfica, scoring 4 goals, but the club has left quite an impact on the player.
According to the Metro, Ramires said, “Football is full of surprises and I would like to return one day,
“Benfica have a great team with a great history, a great manager. They have only been lacking titles recently.
“I’ve still got a tremendous amount of affection for Benfica, not just because they opened the door to Europe for me but because of all the things I experienced there, how they welcomed me and how well everything turned out. I can only thank the club.”
Well Ramires may have fond memories of Portugal but he will be continuing to create memories Chelsea-style, for quite some time yet, with plenty of trophies while he is in West London if his early seasons are anything to go by.