We often talk about the curse of the #9 shirt at Chelsea, but ten years ago, it was another number that was most often at the center of bad omens. The #7, worn by players such as Andriy Shevchenko, Adrian Mutu, and Winston Bogarde stood empty for two years before a new suitor emerged in 2010.
Once known as the "Blue Kenyan" by Cruzeiro fans in Brazil, Ramires spent five-and-a-half successful years at Stamford Bridge, winning every meaningful trophy Chelsea have fought for during his spell. Now playing for Jiangsu Suning in the Chinese Super League, the midfielder remains fond of his time with Chelsea and will be rooting for the team's success going forward.
"I am very proud to have worn the shirt 7 with Chelsea for so long and I think it is in good hands with [N'Golo] Kanté. I'm rooting for him to win at least half of the titles I won wearing this number."
"If this happens, it will already help a lot. I'm here in China, but always looking out for what happens in England. The group has not changed, I have lots of friends there and I'll be here cheering for Chelsea to reach their goals this season."
-Ramires; Source: Sambafoot
Although Ramires had been quite inconsistent in his performances during the final two seasons of his Chelsea spell, his contributions to Chelsea's trophy haul had been significant over the years and goals such as the chip against Barcelona shall never be forgotten.