Class of 2001 Class of 2002 Class of 2003 Class of 2004 Class of 2005 Class of 2006 Class of 2007 Team Index Albirex Niigata Kashima Antlers Omiya Ardija Avispa Fukuoka Shonan Bellmare Cerezo Osaka Consadole Sapporo Ehime FC Kawasaki Frontale Gamba Osaka Nagoya Grampus Gifu FC Mito Hollyhock JEF United Jubilo Iwata Yokohama Marinos Montedio Yamagata Urawa Reds Kashiwa Reysol Roasso Kumamoto Sagan Tosu Sanfrecce Hiroshima Kyoto Sanga Shimizu S-Pulse Thespa Kusatsu FC Tokyo Oita Trinita Vegalta Sendai Ventforet Kofu Tokyo Verdy Vissel Kobe Tokushima Vortis Yokohama FC

Ruy Ramos Position: Midfield Born: 9-Feb-1957 Height/Weight: 183/65 Birthplace: Brazil Previous Teams: Yomiuri Club; Verdy Kawasaki; Kyoto Purple Sanga; Kariyushi FC Appearances (J1/JSL): 79/130 Goals (J1/JSL): 9/60 First Appearance: 15-May-1993 Verdy Kawasaki -vs- Yokohama Marinos (at National Stadium) First Goal : Despite the fact that he was born in Brazil, and is a naturalised citizen, Ruy Ramos has become the icon of football in Japan, and surpasses even stars like Hidetoshi Nakata or Kazuyoshi Miura as the most widely recognized face and name in the sport. Born "Ruy Goncalves Ramos Sobrinho", in Rio de Janeiro, Ramos moved to Japan in 1977 and joined the Yomiuri Club -- the team which would later become Verdy Kawasaki. Ramos became very attached to his adopted country, married a Japanese woman and settled down in the country. By 1989, he had been living in Japan for 12 years and was highly fluent in Japanese. Feeling certain that he would remain in the country for the rest of his life, he decided to apply for Japanese citizenship. Although other players would later follow in his footsteps, at the time (1989), it seemed almost a revolutionary move. But Japanese football fans quickly took Ramos to their heart, and he became one of the most popular players on the national team. Though his J.League statistics are not particularly impressive, when one considers that he was already 36 when the league was formed, and continued playing until the age of 42, even his J.League accomplishments are phenomenal. As for his overall record in Japan, he played in 209 league matches (130 in the old JSL) and scored 69 goals (all but 9 prior to the J.League's formation). He also played 35 matches for the Japan national team between 1990 and 1995. When he finally retired from the J.League, at the age of 42, in 1998, his retirement match was a huge media event which drew 48,000 fans and was broadcast live on national TV. Though his J.League career was really just the last fading chapter of a much greater football story, the J.League would have been so much the poorer, had it not been for the great "Carioca".

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