In the 90s there was a player who made a whole generation dream. His dribbling, pause and joy with which he played, became talks of schools, universities and neighborhoods in Bogotá Monday morning Jhon Mario Ramírez was always popular soccer and the daring idol of the capital.
His essence will be remembered forever, because he was who many wanted to be. César Arenas, first coach of the bogotano in Apuestas Monserrate, a club that saw him for the first time and who empowered him to take him to the professional, spoke in AS Colombia where he remembered through tears his beginnings and his importance in Bogota and Colombian football.
Micro-football gave him the step and rebellion to be a different person on the field. Although economic problems almost end everything, a promise to his mother made soccer become his best option in life. When he got to Millonarios and Vladimir Popovic put him where he felt best, he made El Campín fill up.
Memories and the importance of Jhon Mario Ramírez
Unforgettable memories: “I remember everything, it was a young man who left Cazucá, he played micro when he was little, he came to our Monserrate Betting team because of a teacher from his school, he was 12. He always played micro because he liked it a lot, but we managed to attract him to soccer 11. We trained in the Jazmín (Bogotá neighborhood), on a bare pitch, he would arrive by bus and since the family was poor, he would go up through the back door, that’s how it all began. Then his talent went to the Bogotá teams, to the Colombian youth teams and then he came to Millonarios, the team made us a proposal, we reached an agreement, and we gave most of the pass to him so that he could live and have that income. “
The importance of your story: “He was a different, exceptional player, one of those who come out very little and who are figures like Maradona, Pelé or Messi, he was exceptional. He had an ability to step on the ball, to dribble, to do things that nobody would think would come out in a game. played in the middle of three players “.
The value that Jhon Mario gave to Apuestas Monserrate: “The most important thing for me is to be able to help a player who is on drugs, who can get him out of vices or delinquency. Jhon Mario valued him a lot, not only in the sentimental part, but also in the sports part (. ..) All the coaches I have told me that he expressed himself in a spectacular way and that he was going to be a great DT “.
The representative of popular football in Bogotá
Represent popular soccer: “Not only Jhon Mario, but also Germán Casas who also died this week and is the son of the house. They both had many similarities, although one was a defender and the other an attacker. The defender attacked with the same ease that he defended and Jhon Mario defended with the ease that he attacked. They had a lot of temperament, sometimes their way of acting was arrogant, but it was their ambition to be the best, the Bogota player is cold and fearful, but they were daring and of great firmness. they are representatives of that street football, of the neighborhood “.
Shine on Millionaires: “He played professionally because the Yugoslavian (Vladimir Popović) who gave him the opportunity played him as the third holding midfielder, he took the ball away and started and so majestic things. He hit the ball with great quality.”
Shortage of rebels and anecdote with the ’10’
The problem of looking for new Jhon Marios: “In Colombia we look a lot at what happens in Europe with youth players and we don’t see that the best we have is here. Here we are, we are preventing the players from having subtlety, intelligence, having skill, from stepping on the ball. Now, when they have the ball they are told every so often to let it go and they don’t give them freedom, they train them as professional players. We gave him supervised freedom. “
Unforgettable anecdote: “The mother was going to withdraw him from soccer because they were not in a good economic situation, they lived in a room where they had a kitchen, they slept and did not have work. She said that she could not bear it because it destroyed all the shoes, which she kept in the street and that I had to study because I had to have a better future. He called me and said: ‘Teacher, my mother does not want to let me play anymore, please talk to her.’ I went and we talked about the talent I had, then 25 minutes later, Jhon Mario knelt down to her and said: ‘Mom, I ask you to let me play football, I want to give you your house, let me give you your house with these little legs.’ ‘Then he signed his first contract in Millonarios and it The first thing he did was buy the house in installments. “
