Kevin Ramirez is a French international futsal player. Since 2021, he has been captain of the France team. He is also the first French professional player in the discipline. In club, he evolved in Spain, in England, in Czech Republic, in Italy, and of course, in France.
At the microphone of Bixente Lizarazu, Kevin Ramirez makes you discover his discipline which belongs to what is called diversified football.
“It’s a magnificent sport, I’m a real enthusiast”
Futsal is a team sport related to football. However, if the two disciplines have the round ball in common, they have many differences.
To start, futsal is not played outdoorsbut in a gymnasium, on a smaller plot. It is practiced at five against five. A team consists of four players and a goalkeeper. The ball is heavier and smaller, and the rules are also different. “From the sixth foul, there is a penalty from 10 meters”explains Kevin Ramirez, “The duration of the matches is twice 20 effective minutes. Time is counted down if there are stoppages in play.. It is thus not rare to attend matches which last several hours.
What seduced Kevin Ramirez in this sport, it is the easier contact with the ball. “I played eleven-a-side football. I was at the Clermont Foot training center and I played nationally too”, he recalls. However, the sportsman did not take much pleasure in it: “We hardly touch the ball, it’s quite physical”.
Trying futsal has been a revelation : “As soon as I tasted futsal, I immediately loved it, we are really in touch with the game”, he says enthusiastically. Indeed, futsal is a sport where there is a lot of contact. “I consider myself a tackle specialist, on the floor, it burns a little”laughs Kevin Ramirez.
Futsal players play their match on a surface that is hard and has a strong impact on the joints. “The futsal player’s injury is ankle and knee. They suffer a lot”, says the sportsman. Particular attention is paid to the body. “We have staff who take care of us. We finish the match and we do cryotherapy directly. We have physios trying to fix us up for the next day”says Kevin Ramirez.
It is a very very physical sport where you have to repeat high intensity sprints. – Kevin Ramírez
The rhythm of matches is not the same as in classic football. The body, but also the mind are put to the test: “In the France team, international matches are double confrontations. We play two games in a row in 24 hours. It looks like the hand. Physically and mentally, being mobilized for high-intensity, high-level matches is not easy and it’s not given to everyone.”analyzes Kevin Ramirez.
Futsal requires players to be lively and focused over the duration of a match: “It’s in a small area. It’s still a game reading sport, information gathering, where you have to be quite concentrated too. You still have to be physically ready. It’s a very, very physical sport where you have to repeat high-intensity sprints.”.
The captain of the French futsal team describes his sport as “magnificent” and he is aware the skills it helps to develop : “Neymar comes from futsal. We see his dexterity with the ball. He is very good on support and changes of direction. He has an extraordinary technique.