Sergio Ramos to Leave Real Madrid After 16 Years at Santiago Bernabeu

After 671 games, 101 goals, 16 seasons, four European Cups, and five league titles, Real Madrid’s centre-back Sergio Ramos is leaving the club. The long-serving captain said his goodbyes on Thursday, June 17, exactly 13 days before the formal termination of his contract with Los Blancos.

Sergio Ramos transferred from Sevilla in 2005 and is now putting an end to a decade-and-a-half-long trophy-laden spell at Real Madrid.

Ramos scored many of his 101 goals at critical moments. The most memorable one was the 2014 Champions League final stoppage-time header against Atlético Madrid, which sent the game into extra time, allowing Real to eventually secure the win.

On Wednesday, June 16, the La Liga giant announced the farewell, which took place the next day and was followed by a virtual press conference in which Ramos addressed the public.

“The first thing I want to say is that I never wanted to leave. I wanted to stay here. The club offered me the possibility of extending my contract, but because of COVID, it was put on the back burner,“ said Ramos and added that Real came to him with a one-year offer that featured a pay cut. Reportedly, the Spanish football player didn’t mind the salary reduction but the length of the contract. However, he finally decided to accept the proposed terms, only to find out that the offer had already expired.

Ramos struggled with injuries during his last season at Madrid, which gave the head coach of Spain’s national team, Luis Enrique, no other option but to leave him out of the squad for Euro 2020. With Ramos out of the picture, football betting sites aren’t giving Spain the best odds for winning the championship.

The soon-to-be-former Los Blancos captain confirmed that he would sign for Real Madrid again “without any doubt”. For now, however, the veteran defender, considered one of his generation’s best players, will be a free agent.

The Spaniard has made 180 caps for his country, winning two European Championships and one World Cup.