Explainers

RAMIRES was adored by Chelsea fans for his running ability and combative midfield play.He left in 2016 after a trophy-laden spell with the Blues. Here’s what we know about what he’s been up to since leaving Chelsea.
Ramires won five trophies during his five and a half seasons at Chelsea
Who is Ramires?
Ramires is a Brazilian former professional footballer who was born in Rio de Janeiro on March 24, 1987.
He played as a midfielder.
He is best known for his time at Chelsea, and was with the West London club from 2010 and 2016.
He signed for the Blues from Portuguese side Benfica for around £17million ahead of the 2010/11 season.
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He scored his first goal for the club in a 4-0 win at Bolton in January 2011, with a side footed finish past Jussi Jaaskelainen.
He scored his second goal that season with a brilliant solo run to round off a 2-0 win against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
That strike was awarded Chelsea goal of the season at the club’s end of season awards.
The 2011/12 season saw Ramires’ influence on the team shine through, scoring 12 times in all competitions.
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Ramires scored in the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham in a 5-1 win at Wembley in April 2012.
He then set up a vital goal for Didier Drogba to help the Blues take a 1-0 lead in the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Barcelona.
The second leg saw a remarkable comeback from the London club.
Trailing 2-0 and down to 10 men, Frank Lampard found Ramires in a pocket of space in a rare attack.
The Brazilian ran on to the ball and deftly chipped it over the oncoming Victor Valdes to put Chelsea ahead on away goals.
This goal gave him his second consecutive goal of the season award at the club.
However, Ramires was booked during the game at the Camp Nou and missed the Champions League final in Munich, which Chelsea won on penalties against Bayern Munich.
Ramires scored the opening goal of the 2012 FA Cup final against Liverpool, slotting past Pepe Reina in a 2-1 win which gave Chelsea their seventh title in the competition.
The 2012/13 season brought further success, with a 2-1 win against Benfica in the Europa League final.
Ramires won a late corner which led to Branislav Ivanovic’s headed winner in the dying embers of the game.
Ramires was a regular the following season under Jose Mourinho, as the team became title contenders again and reached the Champions League semi final.
Ramires won the Premier League in 2014/15, meaning he had scooped every major domestic trophy in his time at Chelsea.
The following season saw Ramires sign a five year contract with the club, but after the departure of Mourinho and a lack of playing time, the Brazilian ended his time in London.
He made 251 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 34 times.
He won the Premier League, the Champions League, the Europa League, the FA Cup and the League Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Ramires played 54 times for his country, scoring four times.
Unfortunately he failed to win the World Cup , as Brazil finished fourth in 2014.
However he did win the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009.
What happened to Ramires?
Ramires signed for Jiangsu Suning in January 2016 for a reported fee of £25million.
He made 60 appearances for the Chinese club, but was released in 2019.
He then signed for Palmeiras in his native Brazil on a free transfer.
He mutually agreed to terminate his deal in November 2020.
After spending almost two years without a club, Ramires retired from football in 2022.
Where is Ramires now?
Not a lot is known about what Ramires has been doing since retiring from football, but he remains active on social media, posting videos and pictures from his illustrious career on his Instagram account.
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He appeared in a post from May 2022 looking unrecognisable from his playing days, with a goatee beard and longer hair.
Ramires married Islana Fabrícia Rosa do Nascimento in 2011. They are believed to have two children. More

DEMBA Ba played for three Premier League clubs and was a proven goal scorer in England’s top flight.Here, we look at his football career, and where he is now after retiring.
Demba Ba played for West Ham, Newcastle and Chelsea during his time in the Premier League
Who did Demba Ba play for?
Demba Ba is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Ba’s first stint in the Premier League was for West Ham, joining in January 2011 with the Hammers struggling against relegation.
He scored seven goals in 12 league appearances for the club, including braces away at West Brom and Wigan, but he could not prevent them from the drop.
Due to a clause in his contract, he was allowed to leave on a free at the end of the season.
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Newcastle ended up signing Ba on a free transfer in 2011, and he quickly made a name for himself as a deadly finisher.
Hattricks at home to Blackburn and away to Stoke helped Ba to eight goals in his first 11 league appearances for the club.
He scored home and away against Manchester United that season, including a spectacular finish in a 3-0 at St James Park in January 2012.
Ba helped Newcastle to an impressive fifth place finish, their highest since 2004.
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The following season saw Ba continue his good scoring form, with 13 league goals in just 20 league games.
Ba moved to Chelsea in January 2013 for a fee of £7million.
He scored two goals on his debut in a 5-1 win against Southampton at St Mary’s in the FA Cup.
He then scored his first league goal for the club against the same opponents at Stamford Bridge, this time a 2-2 draw.
Ba scored a stunning acrobatic in the FA Cup quarter final replay against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, helping the Blues to a 1-0 win.
He also scored a stunning goal, this time an overhead kick, in the 2013 semi final, but couldn’t prevent Chelsea from losing 2-1 to Manchester City at Wembley.
Chelsea won the 2013 Europa League after a 2-1 win against Benfica in the final, but Ba was not involved and didn’t receive a medal as he was cup-tied, having played for Newcastle earlier in the tournament.
The following season saw the arrival of Jose Mourinho for a second spell as Chelsea manager, and Ba struggled for game time.
However, he did chip in with a number of vital goals during the 2013/14 season.
This included a vital late winner against Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge that sent Chelsea through to the Champions League semi final on away goals, as well as a goal against Anfield against Liverpool, best remembered for the Steven Gerrard slip beforehand.
Ba wanted to stay at Chelsea, but the arrival of star striker Diego Costa signalled the end of his time at Stamford Bridge.
What happened to Demba Ba?
Ba joined Turkish side Besiktas for the 2014/15 season.
He came close to scoring against Arsenal with a spectacular effort during the Champions League qualifiers, with his attempt from the halfway line tipped onto the bar by Wojciech Szczesny.
He was able score 18 league goals in his first season, but was soon on the move again, this time to Shanghai Shenhua in China.
Ba suffered a broken leg during his second season with the club, which some suggested could have ended his professional career.
Nevertheless, his surgery was successful and he returned to competitive action.
Ba re-joined Besiktas on loan in January 2017, helping them to win the league title.
After a short spell with Turkish club Goztepe S.K. in 2018, he returned to Shanghai.
After returning to Turkey once again, this time with Istanbul Basaksehir, Ba won the second Turkish league title of his career, scoring 13 league goals as the team pipped Trabzonspor to the post by four points.
His second season saw him score only five league goals, but he did score a famous goal in the Champions League, in a 2-1 win against Manchester United.
Ba joined FC Lugano in the Swiss Super League, but retired in September 2021 after playing just three times for the club.
Where is Demba Ba now?
Since retiring, Ba has worked as chairman of North American football team Albion San Diego.
He was previously part owner of San Diego 1904, a team he founded with other footballers such as Eden Hazard.
This team merged with Albion San Diego after they lost a major source of financing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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In 2021, he was asked by Ralf Rangnick to join him on the coaching staff at Manchester United, during his interim spell in charge there.
However, his Visa was not accepted and he was not able to join. More