Sergio Ramos said he decided to join Paris Saint Germain due to a private chat he had with the club’s talisman, Neymar, a former player of FC Barcelona.
The 35-year-old Spanish center-back left Real Madrid for PSG as a free agent after the Spanish club failed to renew its contract. He was expected to head to the Premier League when his contract with Real Madrid expired in June 2021 but he decided to go to France.
Recall that Sergio Ramos joined Real Madrid from Sevilla FC on August 31, 2005, for a transfer fee worth 27 million euros. He got to the peak of his career at Madrid but his 16 years of service at Real Madrid was not enough to earn him an ideal contract extension which prompted him to leave.
The football star decided to go to PSG for a 2-year deal instead of other numerous clubs that showed interest in him. Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea were among the clubs that wanted the Spanish defender after his contract with Real Madrid expired in June 2021.
His move to PSG interested so many football fans because he was going to re-unite with Neymar, a once rival of the defender in La Liga.
Between 2013 and 2017, Sergio Ramos had to face the skills of Neymar who had the best of his football career at FC Barcelona. During that period, Neymar collaborated with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in Barcelona to torment Ramos in La Liga, especially during El-Classico.
But such rivalry is obviously over since Neymar was able to influence Sergio Ramos to join PSG instead of other interested clubs. It was not only Neymar that convinced Ramos to join PSG, the club’s president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, and the club’s sporting director Leonardo played a major role in Ensuring that the 35-year-old football icon relocated to France.
“Neymar convinced me before signing for PSG”, Ramos told L’Equipe, via Diario AS.
“Before signing for a new club, it is always helpful to talk with several players, or with Leonardo or Al-Khelaifi. They all convinced me in their way…
“I have been talking to Neymar for six or seven years,’ he added. ‘Despite the fact he played for Barca and I played for Madrid, we have always had an extraordinary friendship…
PSG have been doing as much as they could to win a UEFA Champions League title. Hence, they have been signing some of the biggest players in the world to actualize their dreams.
They signed Ramos who has already won 22 club titles including four UEFA Champions League to inspire other players to show more hunger in winning the continental title.
“To come to a club that is 51 years old and has not won the Champions League, it would be historic to do so. And from a personal point of view, having a fifth Champions League would be very important”, Ramos said.
