Isabel "Chapillo" Ramirez was no ordinary maintenance worker at Mexico City's famous Estadio Azteca. He was a witness to some of the most remarkable moments in the history of world football, his name bound to the stadium for more than four decades — decades in which he watched legends such as Pelé and Diego Maradona shine, and saw generations of the game's stars come and go.
FIFA, in conjunction with the 2026 World Cup, has turned the spotlight on Ramirez, who is preparing to retire after 41 years of service at the only stadium to have hosted 3 editions of the World Cup, having attended all three in different roles that reflect his long career inside the ground.
In 1970, Ramirez was a child accompanying his father, who worked on the stadium's pitch maintenance crew. Among the memories that remain etched in his mind is watching Brazilian legend Pelé lead his national team through the World Cup finals.
Ramirez said his father would take him to certain matches by virtue of his work at the stadium, adding that watching games live at that age was an extraordinary experience for him.
When Mexico hosted the World Cup again in 1986, Ramirez was old enough to work and joined the stadium's security team, where he spent three years.
During that period he took part in operations to protect players and national teams, and among those he came close to was Argentine star Diego Maradona, who created some of the most celebrated moments of his footballing career at that tournament.
At the current World Cup, Ramirez leads a team of 10 workers responsible for maintaining the pitch during matches, drawing on expertise accumulated over many long years.
Ramirez said that despite having been in the company of many football stars and famous names, the most moving moment of his professional life was neither a match nor a tournament, but Pope John Paul II's visit to the stadium in 1999.
As his career draws to a close after the 2026 World Cup, Ramirez looks back on his long years at the stadium as an extraordinary journey — from the stands where he watched Pelé as a boy, to the corridors through which Maradona walked as a player, to overseeing the pitch at the current World Cup. Throughout it all, the man remained a presence in the background of scenes that made up a part of football history.