Paris Saint Germain supporters have been longing to see more of Sergio Ramos. Their desire was granted on Wednesday, December 22, but ended with a bad taste in their mouth as Ramos earned his 27th red card in his career.
Recall that Sergio Ramos has been struggling since he arrived at PSG from Real Madrid on July 8, 2021, on a free transfer. First, he had to battle with a prolonged calf injury. Afterward, the 35-year-old out of favor Spain international had to battle with fitness issues.
After a long wait, coach Mauricio Pochettino finally gave Sergio Ramos his first French Ligue 1 appearance at PSG on November 28, 2021, against Saint-Étienne. Ramos played 90 minutes in a league game that ended 1-3 in favor of PSG.
After the game, he was sidelined again due to a muscular problem. Hence, he missed PSG’s three league games before the league game against FC Lorient on Wednesday.
During the game against FC Lorient, coach Pochettino decided to introduce him into the game in the second half. Unfortunately for Sergio Ramos, he received two yellow cards in less than four minutes before he was shown red in the 86th minute.
The incident that earned him a red card happened after FC Lorient striker, Terem Igobor Moffi got the best of the Spanish defender but Ramos decided to stand on his way. Moffi crashed on Ramos and the striker landed on the ground.
Unfortunately for Ramos, the referee deemed the challenge a yellow card offense which was Ramos’ second yellow in the game, hence he was shown the red card.
Sergio Ramos has been sent off!
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) December 22, 2021
The 27th red card of his professional career 🟥
Some things never change 😅 pic.twitter.com/Vc8zM6Xpf2
After the game, Sergio Ramos who has now received 27 red cards in his football career, the highest for a single player in the 21st century, took to his Instagram page to write: “Today is a new day to learn; tomorrow is a new day to improve. Always onwards!”
PSG continue to struggle despite having Sergio Ramos, Lionel Messi, Achraf Hakimi, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Gianluigi Donnarumma
Over the years, PSG have been dominating French football. Hence, when the club decided to bring in Sergio Ramos, Lionel Messi, Achraf Hakimi, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Gianluigi Donnarumma ahead of the 2021-2022 season, football enthusiasts thought PSG would be unplayable this season.
However, PSG have continued to struggle with teams that naturally ought to be walkovers for the French giants.
For instance, in the French Ligue 1 game against lowly rated FC Lorient on Wednesday, December 22, 2021, PSG had to wait until after Sergio Ramos has been red-carded in the 86th minute before Mauro Icardi scored the equalizer in injury time.
Despite how loaded the PSG team is, the team has recorded four draws and a defeat in the league so far. However, that has not affected their leadership of the league table as they are still leading second-placed Nice with 13 points.
Outside the league, PSG unexpectedly failed to finish top of Group A in the UEFA Champions League group stage this season despite how well-loaded the squad is. They managed to finish second behind Manchester City which gave PSG a Real Madrid round of 16 fixture.