Christian Ramirez

Charlotte Eagles

In 2013, Ramirez signed with the Charlotte Eagles of the USL PRO. He made his debut for the squad in a match against Antigua Barracuda FC, in which he tallied his first professional goal and was named to the USL Pro Team of the Week. Ramirez finished the regular season with 8 goals and 5 assists. He continued his form into the postseason, scoring 4 goals in 3 playoff appearances and helping lead the Eagles to the USL Pro Championship, where they lost to Orlando City SC.

Minnesota United FC

On January 8, 2014, Minnesota United FC signed Ramirez for the 2014 NASL season. He became a first-choice striker after Pablo Campos suffered an injury in preseason, and went on to start every game, earning the NASL Player of the Week three times and the NASL Player of the Month three times. Ramirez scored his 20th goal on the final game of the 2014 NASL season, equaling the league record held by Campos and Etienne Barbara. Ramirez won the 2014 NASL Golden Boot and the NASL Young Player of the Year award. Due to his performances, Ramirez was named in NASL's Best XI for 2014 and earned the same honor in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Ramirez again won the NASL Golden Boot in 2016 after tallying 18 goals in 31 appearances. Ramirez holds the club record for goals (53) for the now-defunct NASL version of Minnesota United. With Minnesota United's move to Major League Soccer, Ramirez signed an MLS contract in January 2017. Ramirez scored the club's first-ever…

On January 8, 2018, Ramirez received a call-up for the United States men's national soccer team for a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He made his first appearance as a substitute against Panama on January 27, 2019, along with scoring his first goal for the senior team.

Born in Santa Ana, California, Ramirez attended La Quinta High School in Westminster, California near his hometown of Garden Grove where he played center midfield and forward. As a freshman, he scored 17 goals and tallied 10 assists. During his sophomore year, he scored 18 goals and served eight assists. He opted not to play for the high school team during his junior and senior seasons. Ramirez played for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) and earned the Golden Boot award at the nationals in 2008 after the squad won the tournament. He was named team captain for three seasons. Ramirez started his college career at UC Santa Barbara, playing in the midfield and as a defender. He appeared 24 times in two years, making two starts and scoring one goal Ramirez transferred to Concordia University Irvine, finishing his college career playing as a striker, scoring 44 goals and 18 assists in his two years at CUI. While at Concordia, Ramirez was named NAIA First Team All-American in 2012 while recording 23 goals and 6 assists and was also the GSAC 2012 Player of the Year. In 2011, Ramirez was named All-GSAC First Team and broke the school record for points in a game with five goals and three assists for 13 points against William Jessup. Ramirez tied the school single-season mark for points with 48 in 2011 and would go on to set the school record for points in a season with 52 in 2012.

Ramirez's father, Juan, is a Colombian former player, who immigrated to the United States before Christian's birth. Juan stopped pursuing his soccer career to move his family to California. Ramirez says one of his motivations for playing soccer is to "live out Juan's dream that he wasn't able to." He was raised in a Catholic home and is a Christian. Christian and his wife Valerie have three children together. Ramirez developed a strong friendship with fellow Californian and former Orange County Blue Star and Minnesota United teammate Miguel Ibarra. Ramirez and Ibarra were nicknamed "Superman" and "Batman" by the Minnesota fans.