Juan de Dios Ramírez Perales

Who is Juan de Dios Ramírez Perales?

Juan de Dios Ramírez Perales is a retired Mexican football central defender, who was nicknamed "El Capi".

Ramírez Perales played for nearly 15 years in Mexico's top flight, beginning his career with UNAM in 1988. By the following year he had become a starter in central defense, and he started 41 matches in 1990–91 as Pumas won the league, overcoming Club América in the final. He remained with UNAM until 1994, then joined Monterrey for one season and Toros Neza for another before moving to Atlante for the Invierno 1996 season. Playing alongside Romanian Miodrag Belodedici, Ramírez Perales helped form a strong central defensive pairing, but Atlante's seasons during this time repeatedly ended in disappointment in the knockout Liguilla phase. Leaving Atlante in 2000, he represented Chivas, Irapuato, and Veracruz in the closing years of his career.

At international level, he earned 49 caps for the Mexican national team between 1991 and 1995. Ramírez Perales made his international debut against the United States on 12 March 1991. Under César Luis Menotti and then Miguel Mejía Baron, he became a starter for the national team throughout World Cup qualifying and the 1993 Copa América, in which he played every minute of Mexico's six matches on the way to the final. Likewise, Ramírez Perales started all four games at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, lining up next to Claudio Suárez in the heart of the Mexican defense. He was recalled for the 1995 Copa América, but only appeared in the opening game. Ramírez Perales earned his final cap on 6 July 1995 in a 2–1 loss against Paraguay, and was replaced by Manuel Vidrio in central defense for Mexico's remaining matches in the competition.