New Aberdeen signing Christian Ramirez is like Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic in his ability to conjure goals from nothing, insists his former manager.
United States international striker Ramirez has signed on at Aberdeen on a two-year contract.
Although currently undergoing quarantine having jetted in from Houston, the striker is able to work with his team-mates as the Dons received special elite athlete dispensation from the SFA for him to leave his hotel to to take part in training.
Carl Craig managed Ramirez at MLS side Minnesota United where the striker was so prolific in front of goal the club’s fans named him “Superman”.
That nickname has stuck and the Man of Steel has touched down in the Granite City determined to be a Red Army hero.
Craig worked with Ramirez for four years at Minnesota and describes a humble, grounded, hard-working family man, who travelled to training in his friend’s rusty van and worked with children at a youth team in his spare time.
However, on the pitch, Craig says Ramirez is a magician who left him stunned by some of the goals he scored – including the NASL goal of the year.
He insists Ramirez can produce an unexpected, often stunning, goal from nothing similar to AC Milan and former Juventus, Barcelona and Manchester United star Ibrahimovic.
Craig said: “On the park Christian has a bit of (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic in relation to his confidence and if he gets half a sniff he will let go and score.
“He is not as big as Ibrahimovic, but he is strong as an ox and can bring that magic.
“Christian can pull things out of his hat and score goals from anywhere.
“I would often wonder: ‘how did he manage to come up with that goal?’
“The comparison with Ibrahimovic is that you just don’t know what to expect.
“Christian doesn’t score bad goals.
“I think he will do very well for Aberdeen.
“Due to his ability to find spaces and take opportunities early, he will score goals in Scotland.
“When he finds a pocket of space, he can do real damage as he scores great goals.”
Ramirez will handle physical Premiership
Aberdeen boss Stephen Glass attempted to sign Ramirez last year while interim manager of Atlanta United, but Houston Dynamo rejected his approach.
This time he finally got his man after negotiating a fee with Major League Soccer, understood to be £180,000 ($250,000), and securing a work visa for the striker.
Following a successful spell with Charlotte Eagles in the American third tier, Ramirez secured a move to Minnesota United in the NASL, the then-American second division.
In his first three years at Minnesota United, the striker was named in the league’s top XI team of the season.
That debut season yielded 19 goals for Ramirez, including a sensational over-head bicycle kick that won the Goal of the Year award.
MLS soccer is a very physical league.
“I know the Scottish and British think American football is soft but this is a very athletic league.
“Christian has been brought up with that and people getting onto him.”
Former Minnesota United manager Carl Craig
In 93 appearances for Minnesota United in the NASL, Ramirez netted 55 goals.
He won the NASL Golden Boot award for the league’s top scorer twice in three seasons.
Minnesota United then stepped up to Major League Soccer, the top-flight, in 2017 and Ramirez was one of their key performers – netting 14 goals.
Craig reckons neither the physicality and pace of the Scottish game, nor the weather, will faze the striker.
He said: “MLS soccer is a very physical league.
“I know the Scottish and British think American football is soft, but this is a very athletic league.
“Christian has been brought up with that and people getting on to him.
“I managed Christian at Minnesota, so the weather in Scotland is not going to be a problem for him either.
“Aberdeen have signed a very good player in Christian.”
Superman and Batman – two goal-scoring superheroes
During Ramirez’s time at Minnesota, he forged a close partnership on the pitch and friendship off it with Miguel Ibarra.
Both players excelled with Ibarra the provider and Ramirez the finisher.
They quickly became heroes to the Minnesota fan-base – so much so that they nicknamed Ramirez “Superman” and Ibarra “Batman”.
Craig even bought them the T-shirts that they unveiled in front of the fans in 2014.
Batman and Superman! #Rambarra pic.twitter.com/Y1XkKtMzDK
— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) August 3, 2014
From watching the two play-off one another for years, Craig’s message is clear – if someone can provide Ramirez with the service, he will deliver goals for the Dons.
He said: “Christian and Miguel Ibarra were best mates.
“Miguel was a flyer and would bomb down the line and serve Christian who would then put the ball in the net.
“So it was two superheroes really.
“I went out and bought the T-shirts, with Christian getting Superman and Miguel Batman.
“I was running a youth club in addition to being a coach at Minnesota and had Christian and Miguel both coaching kids part-time, because when they first started there the money was terrible.
“They were youth coaching to make up a few quid.
“Miguel had a rusty old van that he drove and Christian would jump a lift with him.
“On the park they did great things together.”
Batman and Superman, dynamic duo. #MNUFC pic.twitter.com/GFz5MCrt35
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 23, 2018
Aberdeen must play to Ramirez’s strengths
Having risen through the ranks in American football, Ramirez reached the pinnacle when earning a debut cap for the United States in January 2019.
He came off the bench and scored on his debut in a 3-0 defeat of Panama.
Following four seasons of success at Minnesota, the striker was transferred to Los Angeles, scoring four goals from 20 appearances.
Houston Dynamo moved to sign him in August 2019 and the attacker had a strong end to the campaign, netting five times in 10 games and pitching in with a number of assists.
In the current season, he made just one start before completing the switch to Aberdeen.
Craig said: “Christian is going to work hard, but you have to play to his strengths.
“That is where I think Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass will understand as, although Christian is willing to work, if you push him too hard then you lose all his energy for scoring goals.
“What he can absolutely do is score goals.
“At Minnesota, we had Ibarra who can run for fun and for example Newcastle United have Miguel Almiron who can do that as well.
“They are the players that do the pressing then you give the ball to a player like Christian, because he will score the goals for you.
“Christian is not going to be able to run all day for you and still take his chances.
“You have to recognise what he is – and Christian is definitely a goal scorer who can work.
“But he is not that player who will run from one side of the park to the other.
“He needs the support and then he will score the goals for you.”
A working-class kid who has earned success
Now manager of Forward Madison FC in Wisconsin, Craig, 55, believes Ramirez will be driven to make his new career in Scotland a success.
That hunger comes from his working class background and his fight to move up from the lower echelons of American football to the very top in the MLS and international level.
Ramirez began his career at Concordia University in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) before moving to Orange County Blue Star.
He then sealed a switch to Charlotte Eagles in the American USL Pro League in 2012 – it was during this time he received one-to-one striker coaching with Aberdeen assistant manager Allan Russell via his Superior Striker enterprise.
Newcastle born and raised, Craig said: “There can sometimes be a tendency to lose sight that footballers are working class kids predominantly.
“Christian is from a Columbian-American family and came from a back-ground no different to the working class parts of the UK.
“He is well grounded and had to work for everything.
“Christian has got the reward for that.
“When he was playing at Minnesota he had to graft to make a few quid.
“His wife (Valerie) who was his girlfriend at the time came as well and I had the two of them coaching the kids in the youth club.
“She is an honest worker as well who went to college, worked hard, got a degree and a nice job
“The two of them are grounded, kind, working class kids who have done well for themselves.”
Stephen Glass knows the American market
Aberdeen boss Glass has raided the United States market to secure two signings during his summer rebuild.
Atlanta United right-back Jack Gurr was also secured for a season.
Craig said: “I met Stephen Glass a few times when he was playing for Carolina out here in the States.
“He has played in the United States and probably played against Christianm so he will have a very good idea of what he is getting.
“Stephen knows these leagues well and spent a long time here as a player, coach and in management. He knows what the players can do.
“If he wasn’t sold on Christian, he wouldn’t be taking him over to Scotland.”
Ramirez is set to make his Aberdeen debut in the Uefa Europa Conference League against BK Hacken at Pittodrie on Thursday July 22.
The striker has recent form of making an immediate scoring impact.
Not only did he score on his international debut the Santa Ana, California born centre-forward netted a double in his second game for Los Angeles, in a 2-0 defeat of Real Salt Lake.
He also netted on his Houston Dynamo debut- in a 2-1 loss to Philadelphia Union.
Craig said “When Christian left us to go to Los Angeles FC, he came off the bench on his debut, picked it up on the corner of the penalty area and smashed it in.
“I thought – ‘there’s Christian doing what he does’.
“I hope he does that for Aberdeen to lighten the place up – I’m sure he can.”