Sergio Ramos is now 35-year-old which is not a good age for a player and he has started suffering all the bad things that come with such an age when one is a football star.
One of the things that players at his age are suffering from is the inability to get a long-term contract from a top club like Real Madrid. He has done so well for the Spanish giants since he joined the club from Sevilla on August 31, 2005, for a transfer fee worth €27million. But his journey with the club might end this summer.
Between 2005 and 2021, the 35-year-old Spanish defender has scored 101 goals and provided 40 assists in 670 appearances for Real Madrid which is a record for a defender at the club. He has also helped the club to win virtually everything in club football.
Sergio Ramos for Real Madrid:
— Real Madrid Analysis (@rmdanalysis) March 30, 2021
• 670 matches
• 101 goals
• 40 assists
• 5x La Liga
• 4x Champions League
• 4x Spanish Super Cup
• 4x FIFA Club World Cup
• 3x UEFA Super Cup
• 2x Copa del Rey pic.twitter.com/ciuAnTWHE7
But this antecedent is not enough for Real Madrid to give him the kind of contract that he wants and Sergio Ramos feels he is too good for the kind of contract the club is willing to offer. Hence, his future is still hanging at the club.
It has begun to get so bad for the legendary footballer that he has begun to miss games at Real Madrid while his contract with the club is gradually coming to an end. As it stands, his contract will expire in June 2021 but there are no longer talks between his representatives and the defender.
Due to his fitness issues and other politics at Real Madrid, Sergio Ramos has managed to make just 15 La Liga appearances in which he scored two goals.
As he is battling for his football career at Real Madrid, he is also battling for his relevance in Spain national team. He has been playing for the national team since March 2005. He has made 180 appearances in which he scored 23 goals.
But during the FIFA World Cup qualification matches in March 2021, Sergio Ramos was shown that his time in the squad is gradually winding down. In the three games Spain played in March, Ramos started in the first game against Greece which ended 1-1, he started from the bench in the 86th minute in the game against Kosovo.
However, the head coach of the Spanish national team, Luis Enrique, decided not to play the defender at all in the 2-1 away win over Georgia on March 28, 2021.
In the post-match interview after the 3-1 win over Kosovo on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, Sergio Ramos blamed his lack of regular game time on the knee injury he has been battling with. He however noted that he would find his “rhythm” again.
“I’m just another player and when I play as a starter I’ll be as happy as I am today”, he said.
“The important thing was to play and to contribute something and achieve the objective that, after that draw [against Greece], it was important to win on the road to the World Cup.
“It’s always important to add a minute or the whole game – that depends on the coach.”
On his future with Real Madrid, Sergio Ramos noted that he is “focused on getting back to my team because week time we’re playing for the season [with key games against Liverpool and Barcelona].
“Hopefully we’ll get some good results; they’ll be good games for football fans and we hope to give our best”, he added.