José Manuel Rojas Ramírez (born 8 June 1952), is a retired

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player from

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

. Better known as ''Chinimba'', he played most of his career for

Deportivo Saprissa Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its Association football, football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, Costa Rica, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aym ...

, where he is still remembered as an idol.

Club career

He started his football career playing for Deportivo México, and was later transferred to

Saprissa Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. Their colours are burgundy and white. It ...

. "Chinimba" is vastly recalled for his great shooting skills, his excellent passing abilities, and quickness of mind. Overall, he was a midfielder, with extraordinary talent, and was part of the famous

's midfield whose way of playing made history in the

CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; typeset for branding purposes since 2018 as Concacaf), is one of FIFA's six continental governing bodies for association football. Its 4 ...

region, winning several titles with them. He was part of the mythical

squad that won six consecutive championships from 1972 to 1977, a record both in

as well as in the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

. He also played for Limonense.

International career

He played during the 70's with Costa Rica's national team.

Personal life

"Chinimba" had some troubles with the law in his country, and was sentenced to 64 months in prison during the 1980s, which cut his brilliant soccer future short. During his time spent in prison, he studied and achieved his degree, and has dedicated a big part of his life in teaching inside several prison facilities in his country. He later worked as a TV pundit.Ojo abierto: Que la tele lo encarcele
- Nación

References

1952 births Living people Footballers from San José, Costa Rica Men's association football midfielders Costa Rican men's footballers Costa Rica men's international footballers Deportivo Saprissa players Costa Rican expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Venezuela {{CostaRica-footy-bio-stub