The teenager is aware that the game is more than just a way to have fun and stay fit.

"Football is a form of distraction, a way to play, have fun, and stay away from other things, like drugs," he said.

His father is a construction worker and his mother, Claudia, works as a cleaner.

"It's very important that he finishes school. If he gets low grades, I won't let him play football," Claudia tells Xinhua.

Ramirez agrees. "I prefer football, but I know I have to finish my studies," he said.

In November 2017, famed British footballer David Beckham visited their home as part of a documentary he was filming in different parts of the globe.

"I have Beckham's autograph on a photo of mine from his visit to my house. I never dreamed of it," said Ramirez.

His mother chimed in to say that the former pro footballer "seemed very cold on television, but was very affectionate in person."

She hopes that if her son becomes a successful player, "he will have the same simplicity, the same modesty and that he always remembers where he came from."

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