Famous People in Japan



Ramosu Rui

Date of Birth 9 February 1957
Place of Birth Mendes, Brazil

Rui Ramosu was born as the fourth child of the five on February 9, 1957. His birthplace is Mendes, which is about seventy kilometers away from Rio de Janeiro. His father was an accountant in a meat factory. He was a gentleman, because he wore a suit and straightened his back in all his photographs. Those around him respected him. Looking back at his childhood, he said that his father was too serious a person to let him play soccer when Rui didn't go to school and church. However, he liked his father very much. His father's only fault was that he liked soccer very much. His father was famous as a man who popularized soccer in Mendes. Rui was taught soccer by his father. Moreover, he was in good surroundings to play soccer, because he lived near a soccer ground.

Rui played soccer day after day. Though his mother tried to make him study for examinations, he went to play soccer. As he used to cut class, he failed in the third grade when a schoolboy. He was absorbed in playing soccer just as if he had caught a fever.

However, on April 9, 1969, his father died of asthma attacks, aged 49. As his family lived in a company house, they had to move out. So they moved to Sao Paulo on February 22, 1970. His father's death was a turning point in his life.

When Rui became a high school student in Sao Paulo, He was still absorbed in soccer. He played about ten games a week. Of course, he cut school, however, teachers were obliged to permit it, because he had taken part in tournaments sponsored by a television station in Sao Paulo, and he had been elected to the best player many times. Soon Rui became famous in Sao Paulo. Of course, Rui had taken tests to become a professional soccer player many time, but failed. Because he was a skinny person, and many scouts judged that he would not be equal to hard games.

As his twentieth birthday was approaching, he had no chance to contract professional soccer teams. Then a scout brought something quite unexpected to Rui. He made a contract with a Japanese team, Yomiuri Club. He left for Japan on April 27, 1977.

Rui arrived in Japan on April 29, however, he hadn't taken part in games for a half year according to the rules. In the meantime, he was homesick, but he studied Japanese language and the customs. He came to live a happy life. When he took part in games, he showed the joy he felt. He was active in many games.

However, he was ordered out of the game for a year on January 14, 1978, because he quarreled with a player about the rough play. He was surprised and disappointed to hear about the severe penalty. He lived a hellish daily life for the next year.

Rui returned to soccer in 1979. He took active part in many games as if he ran up from hell to heaven. In the year, his scores and assists were higher than any other player, the best record since Mr. Kamamoto's.

All had gone well with him since then. In 1981, when he suffered a conpaund leg fracture in a car accident, a friend, Hatsune Shimizu took too good care of him. He married her on June 30, 1984.

Rui has taken active part in many games and lived life to the full since then. He was naturalized in Japan on November 22, 1989, and was elected to the all-Japan representative player in the spring of 1990. In 1993 the professional soccer league,"J League" started. He has joined a team, Verdy Kawasaki, and is now a central player. In 1996, he joined Kyoto Purple Sanga, but in 1997, he returned to Verdy Kawasaki, because he wanted to help them. Though the all-Japan soccer team didn't enter the World Cup, Japanese soccer is changing. Ramosu has contributed much to Japanese soccer.

References: Hiroshi Suzuki, 1994, Heaven and Hell~ A Record of War by Ramosu Rui

Reported by: Hiroshi Ikeda
Data verified by:
Updated by: Masahiro Amano October, 1997
Date of Report: November 1995

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