HUNGRY FOR SUCCESS
Ramirez settling into new life at Aberdeen and hoping to win silverware for the fans who have given him real taste of Scotland... with Nando’s tip-offs!
THANKS to the advice of team-mates and fans, Christian Ramirez does not lack hunger in his mission to be a success at Aberdeen. The American striker’s appetite has been whetted by the opportunity to play his part in Stephen Glass’s team, both domestically and in Europe.
And so, ahead of Thursday’s second leg against FK Qarabag in their Europa Conference League play-off at Pittodrie, Ramirez can’t wait to savour the biggest game of his career.
It helps, of course, that he has settled into life with his family in the Granite City following his summer move from Houston Dynamo. Ramirez is determined to make sure it will not just be silverware on the menu at the Dons this season.
‘I’m going to try Nando’s for the first time,’ he said. ‘It’s been fun and a good start. I’m finally
able to settle in. I’m
With the backing of the fans we showed what a fortress Pittodrie can be
moving into my new house on Monday. Now it starts to feel like home instead of being tightly squeezed with the family in a small flat.
‘It’s been a group of people who told me about Nando’s. I first tried sweet chilli sauce, so that was something, and then they mentioned Nando’s. My wife wanted to try it, so here we are.
‘I’m going in blind. I take recommendations for restaurants from the group. Fans have DM’d me restaurants to check out, so that’s much appreciated.’
Ramirez wants to make sure his debut season in Scotland does not leave a sour taste in his mouth.
Last weekend’s Premier Sports Cup defeat to Raith Rovers wasn’t the ideal way for Glass’s men to begin their bid to add silverware to the Pittodrie trophy cabinet.
The pressures are intense in the north east and the tests keep coming, with a trip to Hearts in the Premiership today followed by that second leg against Qarabag.
Ramirez views the tie against the Azerbaijani outfit as his most important match to date.
‘My first MLS play-off in LA was big,’ said the 30-year-old. ‘There have been some rivalry games in the States. Then being capped with the national team.
‘For me, I’m taking it as the biggest game of my career. I know how much this would mean to the club, supporters and the boss financially.
‘I think that’s how the whole team is approaching it. It’s a cup game to get to the next stage.’
The Dons lost 1-0 in the first leg against Qarabag — but the game became farcical due to the shambolic state of the pitch in Baku.
‘We walked out of there with our heads held high,’ added Ramirez. ‘We thought it was a positive result given the circumstances. The travel was pretty insane. We had to stop on the way through and back.
‘It felt like you were playing on sand for 90 minutes. You didn’t understand where the ball was going to go.
‘We just had to grind out as much as we could and came away pretty content to know we’ll have the backing of the fans this week. With that we showed what a fortress Pittodrie could be.’
The support of the Dons faithful has helped Ramirez to settle in Scotland. Feeling their love has brought back memories of the appreciation he received at former club Minnesota United during a four-year spell.
His prolific nature in front of their fans led to them naming him ‘Superman’ — but recent times have not been so positive. Spells in Los Angeles and Houston have led to Aberdeen, where he is aiming to prove his critics wrong.
‘I go back to my time in Minnesota with that connection with the fans,’ said the striker. ‘They pushed me to different levels and I feel that same connection here.
‘It’s something I’ve been missing the last couple of years. They were some of the toughest years of my career, if not the toughest. Just because of not getting an opportunity. People saying I wasn’t good enough to play and this and that.
‘The reality is that wasn’t the case. I had a sour taste in my mouth for the last year and a half, having to bite my tongue and hear those comments.
‘I continue to use it as motivation to keep doing well, score goals, win and get into the group stage of the Europa Conference League. Hopefully, I can help bring some silverware to Aberdeen.’
Tynecastle will provide an ideal setting for Ramirez to test himself in front of a noisy crowd.
With both Hearts and Aberdeen boasting two wins from their opening matches in the Premiership, he can’t wait for the trip to the capital.
‘I’m excited about going to Hearts because it’s been talked up as a great atmosphere with the fans right on top of you,’ added Ramirez. ‘I’ve heard it’s one of the best, if not the best, away stadiums in Scotland.
‘It’ll be fun because those are the moments you relish. We’ll have good backing there, around 1,800 Aberdeen supporters.
‘That’s always nice and so different at away games to have that support. In the States, you don’t get that because of how long the travel is.
‘We’re looking forward to the challenge. We’ll focus on Sunday and then rest and recover for Thursday night.’