Kiki Ramos on his Argentina U17 Debut - Sportshub
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: A post circulating on Threads and other social media platforms claims that Kiki Ramos is Argentina’s first Black footballer.
Verdict: False. Argentina has had Black footballers represent the country before. Kiki Ramos is not Argentina’s first Black international, and the claim ignores documented history.
Full Text
A viral post shared by the Threads account @laode_football has attracted thousands of reactions after claiming that Kiki Ramos, the 17-year-old Haiti-born player, is “Argentina’s first Black player.” The post includes images of him wearing Argentina’s national team jersey with the caption “Argentina’s First Black Player.”
Kiki Ramos was born in Haiti and adopted by an Argentine couple following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, and recently debuted for Argentina’s Under-17 national team
The claim has since been reshared across Facebook (here as well), X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. The post has generated over 3,900 likes, 144 comments and 138 shares, leading many users to believe that Argentina has only recently fielded a Black player, while others denied the claim. .
Given the historical significance of such a claim, DUBAWA verified its accuracy.
Verification
DUBAWA reviewed historical records and reports from reputable football publications. The investigation found the claim to be false. Historical accounts show that Alejandro Nicolás de los Santos became the first Black footballer to represent Argentina in the early 1920s and was in the Argentina National Team that later won the 1925 South American Championship (now Copa América). See also here.
DUBAWA also found records of Héctor Baley, an Afro-Argentine goalkeeper who represented Argentina during the 1970s and was part of the country’s 1978 FIFA World Cup-winning squad.
Additionally, other players of African descent have represented Argentina at different levels over the years, disproving the claim that Kiki Ramos is the country’s first Black footballer.
A review of the Argentine Football Association’s official platforms and recent squad announcements also found no statement describing Kiki Ramos as Argentina’s first Black footballer.
Conclusion
The claim thatKiki Ramos is Argentina’s first Black player is historically inaccurate. Argentina has been represented by Black footballers for more than a century, including Alejandro de los Santos in 1907 and Héctor Baley in the 1970s. The post ignores these well-documented facts and is therefore false.
