Stephen ‘Kiki’ Ramos became only the fourth black Argentine player ever after making his debut for the Under-17s during a 2-1 win vs Ecuador this week.
The 17-year-old was born in Haiti but was adopted by an Argentinian family following an earthquake in his homeland in 2010, which caused over 300,000 deaths.
Now playing as a winger for Argentine club Velez-Sarsfield, Ramos follows only three previous players of the same ethnicity to represent the country. Hector Baley was the last black member of La Albiceleste’s squad, last playing for them in 1982. Alejandro de los Santos and Jose Ramos Delgado are the only other black players in the national team’s history.
Kiki Ramos Responds to Question Over Racism in Argentina
Argentina have been involved in several controversies recently, especially at the 2026 World Cup. A Falkland Islands-related banner against England sparked outrage, while several players got into heated confrontations after the final vs Spain.
Another involved IShowSpeed, who was subjected to racial abuse during a live stream at a World Cup match. It sparked outrage online, with some accusations that racism and discrimination were common in Argentina.
Now, Ramos has been questioned on the subject. The teenager responded by claiming he’d never seen anything of that nature while living in South America. He said (via Sportskeeda): “Did I feel any racism or discrimination in Argentina? Ever since I came to Argentina, I’ve never felt discriminated against.”
He continued: “Other than the occasional fights between youth players during matches, everything has always been fine off the pitch. I never felt discriminated against, and I never felt different from anyone else. That’s why I feel like people who say Argentina is racist are just saying it for the sake of it.
“I think we’re just going through a period where Argentina is being heavily criticised, you know? But Argentina is a beautiful country.
“For me, it’s a dream to represent Argentina and a huge honour to wear this beautiful shirt. I’ve dreamed of it since I was a little kid, and I hope I can live up to it every time I’m called up.”
Born in 2009, Ramos is the first-ever player born in Haiti to represent Argentina. If he makes his way into the first-team in future, he would be the first black player to don the famous blue and white stripes in more than four decades.
