Tobías Ramírez is a 19-year-old center back currently playing for Argentinos Juniors. He was previously known as Tobías Palacio, but changed his last name to Ramírez in 2024 to honor his stepfather. He joined Argentinos Juniors in 2015, at the age of 9, and has been with the club his entire career. He made his professional debut in a match away at River Plate in January 2024. He has represented Argentina’s youth national teams at the U-17 and U-20 levels.
Ramírez stands at 1.85 m (6’1”) with a defined, muscular build. Ramírez shows really good speed when sprinting back in transitions or defending in 1v1 situations where opponents try to burst past him. He can keep up or outpace opponents over short and longer distances due to his long strides. He is agile and shows very good footwork and coordination. He looks nimble when moving across the pitch. My main concern is his engagement with aerial duels. Despite measuring 1.85 m, he doesn’t seem to be as physically imposing as he is in other defensive situations. He looks more comfortable winning aerial duels when he is in more stationary or static positions. He shows he has the ability to leap and overpower his opponents, but he is not as consistent as I would expect him to be. Typically, he looks to slightly nudge or push off his opponents to create space and be able to jump freely to win the ball.
For Argentinos Juniors, Ramírez typically plays as a left center back despite being right footed. Overall, he is comfortable using both feet but seems to have a natural bias towards his right. Ramírez’s first touch is sharp, even in situations when he is dealing with pressure. He is good at identifying where pressure is coming from and taking his first touch away from it, using the defender’s momentum against them. One of the main reasons why Ramírez is comfortable with the ball is due to his composure. He looks very comfortable on the ball and shows a good technical ability, especially for a center back. Despite being young, his patience in possession is that of a player mature beyond his years. His passing overall is very strong, especially in short and medium ranges. His passes are hit with power and accuracy, rarely getting any lift. One of his most common passes is a chipped pass into his teammates in space in the midfield third. He shows good vision to pick out passes in tight spaces. His long-range passing still needs improvement, as he can still mishit them sometimes. Ramírez can progress the ball through both his passing and carrying. He likes to carry the ball over longer distances, usually ending up in the attacking third. His ability to carry forward is useful to begin attacking opportunities for his team or to bypass a team’s press.
Defensively, Ramírez is very proactive and tenacious. He has an aggressive yet controlled style when defending. He shows good anticipation, whether it is stepping up to cut off passes, putting in tackles, or pouncing on the opponent if they take a heavy touch. He is able to shrug off opponents easily in shoulder-to-shoulder duels. He has shown good awareness when defending in a high line, consistently communicating and scanning to maintain shape with his back four. In situations when his team gets caught out or outnumbered, Ramírez shows he is capable of being a dependable last defender. He does well to position himself to slow down the opponent while not diving in. Due to his aggressive style, Ramírez typically likes to follow his marker and man-mark him. This usually leads to him being dragged out of position sometimes throughout games. Ramírez’s awareness inside and around the box can still improve. There are situations when he can be inattentive and forget to scan or track runners.
Despite being one of the youngest members of the U-20 World Cup squad, Ramírez was one of only three players to play every minute of Argentina’s run to the final. I think he has all the characteristics to play for the top teams in Europe in the future. Making a move to the Serie A can be a good next step for his development to continue gaining experience.
Target Scouting 