Who is Chelsea’s new striker Mayra Ramirez?
After losing Sam Kerr to a horrible ACL injury in January, Chelsea acted quickly during the winter transfer window and brought in rising star Mayra Ramirez, but who is she?
Mayra Ramirez is 24 years old and is from Colombia, she plays predominantly as a forward but can also play out wide. She is 5ft 10in and is known for being physically strong as well as pacey.
Ramirez became the most expensive women’s football player in British history when Chelsea signed her as they paid £384,000 with an extra £42,000 expected to be paid in add-ons. The forward is also the first-ever Colombian to play for Chelsea.
Before signing for the Blues, Ramirez played in the top-flight Spanish league, the Liga F, for three and a half seasons. She was with Huelva first from 2020-22 where she made 61 appearances, scored 12 goals, and grabbed 10 assists. She then moved to Levante where she made 34 appearances, scored 19 goals, and grabbed 10 assists.
The 24-year-old is vastly experienced in domestic cups too, she made 5 appearances in the Copa de la Reina women, scoring 4 times and achieving 2 assists. She played twice in the Spanish Super Cup and also played in the Women’s Champions League twice earlier this season (2023-24).
Ramirez has also got 30 senior caps to her name, she has scored 5 goals in total so far for her country and she most recently represented Colombia at the 2023 Women’s World Cup where they eventually were knocked out by eventual runners-up England.
So far at Chelsea, Ramirez has struggled, she has only made three appearances in the league but has failed to score or assist. In Chelsea’s most recent game against Manchester City, she looked off the pace and Alex Greenwood was excellent in her defence against the striker.
She has however made her mark in the Women’s FA Cup as a superb finish from her against Crystal Palace was enough to get Emma Hayes’ side into the Quarter-Finals.
Upon signing Ramirez Emma Hayes said: “I think everybody knows her qualities. She’s so excited to be here and we’re really, really excited to have her.
“Her physicality is unbelievable, it really is. She’s got so much size but presence and power and she’s quick with the ball. She’s a threat in the box, and she scores goals.
“She doesn’t speak English, so two or three of us are helping her with that. It will take a little bit of time to settle. But I’m sure she will bring a lot of qualities to our league.”