Having already helped the Blues lift the League Cup this season, Ramirez will return from international duty next week ready to help us compete for another FA Women's Super League title and progress in the FA Cup and Champions League.

Her journey to this point is an unlikely one, and began with a supportive upbringing, a willingness to work harder than others, and a continuing determination to succeed.

‘I'm from a very small town in Sibate, Cundinamarca,’ says Ramirez. ‘It’s on the outskirts of Bogota. I'm from the country, not from the city, so I spend a lot of time in nature because of where I'm from. I love the countryside.’

The town’s name comes from the indigenous language of Chibcha, meaning ‘leak of the lake’, and is surrounded by mountains. That makes for fertile soils and an economy based on agriculture and livestock.

Known for exporting potatoes, strawberries, and peas, as well as meat and milk from its cattle ranches, the entire region has just 38,000 inhabitants. Quality of life is high due to economic links with nearby Bogota, and this fruitful land has also developed an elite footballer.

‘My life was always very happy, Ramirez continues. ‘My parents tried to give me enough to be happy and have an enjoyable life. I have a sister. And now, I also have a niece. So, we're a small family, but a very happy one.

‘My parents were amateur footballers, so I grew up around football. We would always go with them to play at the weekend. So, we lived in a good home, where my mum always worked, my dad too, and we had enough to be happy.

‘I’ve forever had this love for football; it’s always made me happy. I'm happy when I have the ball at my feet, I'm constantly playing football. When I didn't have to study, I played, I always found an opportunity and a place where I could play.

‘This passion for football has always been with me, so I developed and grew and saw that I had a bit of a future, so I decided to pursue this great career.’

In doing so, Ramirez has had to leave that close-knit family set up, moving thousands of miles away to begin a new life and pursue her ambitions to become a professional.

It has meant being away from her parents and standing on her own two feet in London - a big city in an unfamiliar country.

‘My parents are still in Colombia,’ Mayra explains, 'and they're the kind of family who are very happy where they are, so it's very hard for them to come.

‘I want to bring them here, I want to bring them one day, they can stay with me for a month, if possible, or two months, whatever they want. But right now, as I said, they're from there and they don't like to leave a place when they're very comfortable.’

The first official step on Ramirez's path to becoming a professional was at a team called Real Pasion, located roughly 40 kilometres away from her home in Sibate.

That club had both amateur and professional elements, while our striker also reveals that she had previously played on a men’s side.

'Before Real Pasion, I was in a men's team, which helped me grow a lot. I think that many women footballers during that time, or at some time or other, have played with the men.

‘I have always had these two clubs, which were the first teams that helped me grow as a footballer, to lay the foundations for what I have done. I am still very grateful to Real Pasion and to the men's team I was in.’

Now settled in London and spending much of her time playing football, Ramirez has little time for hobbies, although, when pressed, she reveals an interest in some other sports.

Yet one thing she is determined to do is to improve her English skills, having been unable to speak a word of her new language when she arrived at Chelsea in January 2024.

'I really enjoy studying English, it helps with communication with my team-mates. For that reason, I've really immersed myself in it.

‘Also, I'm trying to get back to school. I think studying is a valuable part of life, and it's also good for the future. I want to finish a university degree, so I'm in that process now.

‘Well, apart from football, I really like many sports, such as tennis or basketball. I like watching Formula 1 or MotoGP. They're just little hobbies, but I always try to make time to watch them.’