Juan Ignacio Ramirez – Saint Etienne’s goal-laden poacher

With the news of Lionel Messi’s move to Paris Saint Germain, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United return as well as other big moves towards the end of the market, one may have missed the shrewd multi-continental piece of business made by Saint-Etienne on deadline day. Les Verts acquired a 24-year-old striker with more than 70 goals to his name in between 2016 and 2021 as Juan Ignacio Ramirez made the move from Liverpool Montevideo to France. The young striker was one of the most proficient U23 goal scorers as he was rumoured to be making a move to Boca Juniors, but he always kept his mind open with a key interest in Europe. Ligue 1 has been home to some sensational strikers as they just acquired Liverpool Montevideo’s all-time top scorer as he broke a record, at the beginning of this year against Penarol, that stood since 1960. 

Juan Ignacio Ramirez has notched goals in the Uruguayan Primera Division as well as the latter stages of the Copa Sudamericana as he knows his way around the opposition box as this move is crucial to him gaining a better platform for a greater inclusion in the Oscar Tabarez’ Uruguayan National Team. Most South American leagues’ top goal scorers have an average age of around 30-years-old as Uruguay’s stands at 24-years-old and some change as it is home to some of the best young attacking talent on the continent. 20-year-old, Agustin Alvarez Martinez of Penarol has guided his side into the latter stages of the Copa Sudamericana and will attract interest in January, 18-year-old Matias Arezo from River Plate Montevideo is in a patch of form that could allow him to replace Ramirez as the Uruguayan Primera Division’s top scorer while 19-year-old Thiago Borbas is his strike partner with a fine goalscoring record of his own.

The 24-year-old was born in the Uruguayan city of Mercedes on February 1st, 1997, playing for the local club which he supported throughout his childhood before he made the move to Montevideo to join Liverpool as a 13-year-old. The shy freckle-faced teenager would travel back to Mercedes after games and training sessions but stood out as a goal scorer, forming a profitable partnership with Nicolas de la Cruz as they earned comparisons to Boca Juniors duo, Juan Roman Riquelme and Martin Palermo. Ramirez would make his debut in 2016, not taking that long to find his way to goal at professional level with a goal against Fluminense in the Copa Sudamericana as whenever he watches a game, he loves to watch the striker’s movement and runs. He particularly enjoys watching fellow Uruguayan attacker, Luis Suarez as well as former Marseille attacker, Dario Benedetto as he had scored over 130 goals at youth level.

“Luis Suárez, I like him a lot without a doubt, I also like Darío Benedetto, they are two forwards who have very good movements and a self-esteem that I also love. pleases a lot. With some movement that you make out there you can leave a rival on the road and that gives you a lot of peace of mind to define, they are things that you can see, that can be carried out and it is very good that you can repeat that yourself when playing,” said Juan Ignacio Ramirez in an interview with ESPN Uruguay.

In his first season, he scored 11 goals before he would more than double that tally to 24 goals in 2019 as he and Gonzalo Bergessio have tussled to be named Uruguay’s top goal scorer as Juan Ignacio Ramirez’ improvement in his all-round game as well as his goalscoring has been constant throughout his career. Edinson Cavani, Luis Suarez, Darwin Nunez and Uruguay’s young attacking talent have kept out of the first-team squad as he was in the training camps prior to the Copa America in Brazil over the last summer. Saint-Etienne should be lauded for their shrewd acquisition as they managed to acquire a striker with 85 professional goals to his name at the tender age of 24.

Away to Sport Huancayo in the Second Round of the Copa Sudamericana, Ramirez was sharp and instinctive in the box, receiving a cross from Agustin Ocampo to shoot wide from inside the box. He then headed a cross wide from Fabricio Diaz as in the second-half, he would finally open the scoring as 18-year-old Diaz would lob a pass to the 24-year-old striker to get in behind and nudge his marker off the ball before calmly applying the finish to open the scoring. In the second-leg of the tie, Ocampo threaded a pass for Ramirez to receive possession with another run from in behind before applying the finish as he was whistled for offside but may have been onside by an inch. The 24-year-old would then work a one-two with Ocampo for his teammate to have a shot saved.

Ramirez is a well-rounded striker whose movement and timing of his runs in behind is impeccable as he lacks the blistering pace to charge behind a defence, but he is constantly mobile in dropping deep to create passing options for teammates or keeping his head on swivel and scanning the opposition defensive line to receive possession to make a well-timed run in behind to receive possession and have opportunities on goal. His link-up play is exceptional as he uses his body to shield the ball and lay-off passes for teammates while he has the ability to find teammates making runs in behind him. Just five days after the second-leg against Sport Huancayo, Liverpool would face Plaza Colonia away in the Uruguayan Primera Division, as he would utilize his running in behind to generate a goal and assist in a 2-2 draw. In one of his runs in behind, he would receive possession to create an opportunity for Ocampo to apply the finish before running in behind again to stretch to control the ball with phenomenal first touch and calmly applying the finish.

In between August 2020 and the new year, Ramirez’ goalscoring form showed no sign of abating as he scored more than 20 goals in that time period as away to Deportivo Maldonado, he dropped into the right half-space to receive possession and lay-off for a run in behind. It seemed that the 24-year-old forgot his shooting boots at home as he ballooned some high-quality opportunities over the crossbar before he latched onto a loose pass and hammered a striker from range past the goalkeeper with his right foot to double his side’s lead. Ramirez will pose a threat for French defenders in Ligue 1 with his constant movement to receive possession as well as having the physicality to hold off markers as well as his double-movements to create space and shooting opportunities for himself. The 24-year-old offers so much up front, holding the ball up and working innate flicks to teammates as well as sharp and instinctive movement inside the opposition box while he will work hard to apply pressure in the defensive phase as well as chasing back to win possession.

His physicality will help him be better prepared for the gruelling match-ups that lie ahead against Ligue 1 defenders as he controlled a throw-in to turn his man and send a cross into the side-netting. His finishing left some things to be desired as his movement inside the opposition box was fantastic to allow him to get into space to hammer shots over. He can also win possession in the air as he can also operate in a system that employs long passing strategies as he has the savvy to draw fouls in key positions in the opposition half. Even when he is starved of service, he can be a nuisance for opposition defenders as he is good at playing on the shoulder of the last defender as well as in the channels as against Montevideo Wanderers, he got in behind to drive the ball into the wider areas, but he was unable to find a teammate with a cross into the box.

Away to Rentistas, Juan Ignacio Ramirez opened the scoring brilliantly as a teammate was driving the ball into the right channel, for the 24-year-old striker to make a run into space before holding his run to stay onside and move closer to his centre-back while the fullback pushed forward to engage the player un possession for Ramirez to dart into the space in behind to receive possession and apply a one-touch finish while sliding. He would have an opportunity to double his tally when he received a deflection from his centre-back to send a shot wide of the far post. He would remain engaged and alert in the defensive phase to make a tackle on the opposition right-sided centre-back in the defensive phase.

One of the intriguing aspects of Ramirez’ game is how he can turn a little into a lot because of his movement, touches and exceptional combination play as he can start attacking moves with mistakes from centre-backs, long balls, latching onto hopeful passes into the channels as well as winning fouls in key areas of the pitch. Against Rentistas, he would take a brilliant first touch on a pass into the right side of the box to turn and lay-off for a teammate to have a high-quality opportunity on goal. Ramirez would create another high-quality opportunity, this time not only with his first-touch but he would make an intelligent run into a vacated space in the opposition defensive block to hold off his marker to receive a lobbed pass and lay-off for another shot on goal. The 24-year-old would utilize a genius double-movement as his side were on the counter with Ramirez moving to his markers blind-side before making a perfectly timed run in front of his marker to receive possession and have a shot blocked. He would finish the game with a lay-off to a teammate as everyone in Uruguay can agree that it is the perfect time for him to make a move abroad.

Juan Ignacio Ramirez has had his detractors within Uruguayan football, citing his high number of penalties as a reason why his goal scoring exploits have soared, but his movement, physicality and timing of his runs will make him a force to be reckoned with for Saint-Etienne. He will not only provide goals but his ability in dropping into space to receive possession and instigate moves into final third will add another dimension to his side’s attacking play. His running behind allows his teammates to find him with good passing angles as it will help Les Verts transition from approach play to creating opportunities while there are a number of attacking coaches in Ligue 1 as the 24-year-old Uruguayan attacker is sure to threaten with his runs in behind. His ability to press and recover possession defensively is fantastic while his goalscoring could make Les Verts a more interesting proposition this year as double-movements, timing of his runs and movement in the box are transferable traits to a higher level of football.

“He is a very good center forward, short and fast movements, he pivots very well, and within the area he has that second too much to be able to define. He has many goals inside the area. It reminds me, saving distances, of what Manteca (Sebastian Martínez) was doing, " said former Uruguayan striker, Sebastian Abreu to Ovacion Digital.

Saint-Etienne have signed the striker on a loan as negotiations with Boca Juniors were drawn out as the Ligue 1 side have signed a 24-year-old striker with 85 professional goals to his name as well as a distinguished career in South America. He will make Saint-Etienne a more enterprising side to watch while looking to take another step into being a regular with Uruguay as they have a phenomenal batch of developing strikers under the age of 25. Throughout his youth and professional career, there is one thing that Juan Ignacio Ramirez has been known for and that is score goals as it is a hope that his form can continue in Europe at Saint-Etienne.