Sergio Ramos is all set to leave Real Madrid after the club announced a “farewell” press conference for their captain on Thursday.
Ramos has won five La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League crowns in his 16 years with the Madrid club. He joined Los Blancos from his boyhood club Sevilla in 2005.
The central defender made 671 appearances and scored an impressive 101 goals for Real. The club say they will hold the conference as an “institutional act of tribute and farewell”.
Ramos’ contract expires at the end of June and is being heavily linked with a move to Manchester. He may choose to play for either Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United.
Ramos joined Real in 2005 in a record deal for a Spanish defender during Florentino Perez’s first term as club president.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest central defenders of his generation, Ramos won 22 trophies at the Santiago Bernabeu. He memorably scored a 93rd-minute equaliser in the 2014 Champions League final when Real beat rivals Atletico Madrid 4-1 to win their 10th European Cup (La Decima).
Ramos was unable to agree on a new deal with Los Blancos and will become a free agent a little more than a month after being left out of Luis Enrique’s Spain squad for Euro 2020.
The defender has 180 caps for his country Spain, winning two European Championships in 2008 and 2012 and the World Cup in 2010. He has achieved everything and will go down as one of the greatest defenders to ever play the game.
‘Perez wanted Ramos out’ – Spanish football writer Guillem Balague
It has been going on for a year, but the background is Ramos was a 19-year-old when he came to Real Madrid. He always said he wanted to be a legend and a captain.
At some point, he becomes a power and the person who wants power is Perez. He doesn’t love it, he has to live with it though.
He wanted Ramos out like he wanted Ronaldo out. Ramos is influential on and off of the pitch though so he didn’t manage to push him away earlier. Now he has an excuse, he is 35 and only played seven games in 2021. He has an injury. Perez said I will give you one more year, Ramos said two more years.
It was the excuse Perez wanted – he has gone. Where he goes next? He is a legend and will be sent off that way.
If he feels he can still compete at the highest level, he wants to play in the Premier League. If he feels he can’t, they are waiting for him in the MLS.
