Why Sergio Ramos retired from international football
Real Madrid legend and Spain's most experienced and capped footballer Sergio Ramos has announced his retirement from international football after a phone call with the national team's new manager Luis de la Fuente. It is pertinent to note that Ramos played a crucial role in Spain's FIFA World Cup and Euro Cup winning sides.
"The time has come, the time to say goodbye to the National Team, our beloved and exciting Red," Ramos wrote in his retirement statement on social media.
Spain’s most capped player, Sergio Ramos, has explained the reasons for announcing his retirement from the Spanish national team.
He cited a lack of playtime and exclusion from the new coach, Luis de la Fuente’s plans as reasons for his retirement announcement.
Prior to the discussion he had with the new coach, Ramos had missed the Euro 2021 championship due to injury.
The last few years of his career haven’t gone according to plan as he wanted to represent the national team in the world cup but was not included in Spain’s squad for FIFA World Cup 2022 under former manager Luis Enrique who was dismissed after the quarter-final exit to Morocco.
When Luis de la Fuente was announced as the new coach of Spain after the Qatar world cup 2022, there were rumours that Ramos will be called up for the next international fixtures. But according to Sergio Ramos, the coach called him and said he will not count on him regardless of how he performed at the club level.
This made him realise his time is up, forcing him to announce his retirement for good.
Sergio Ramos is a highly decorated footballer, both at the international and club level.
Announcing his retirement via his verified Instagram on Thursday, the 52 times Spain captain wrote, “The time has come, the time to say ‘goodbye’ to our beloved and exciting national team.
“This morning, I received the call from the current coach who told me that he doesn’t and will not count on me, regardless of the level I can show or how I continue my sports career.”
The Spanish FA confirmed to Reuters that the conversation between coach De la Fuente and Ramos took place on Thursday, but provided no further details.
“Humbly, I think that my path deserved to end because of my personal decision or if my performance was not up to the level that our national team deserve, but not because of age or other reasons,” Ramos said.
“Being young or less young is not a virtue or a defect, it is only a temporary trait that is not necessarily related to performance or ability.
“I look with admiration and envy at (Luka) Modric, (Lionel) Messi, Pepe… the essence, tradition, values, meritocracy and justice in football.
“Unfortunately, it will not happen to me because football is not always fair and football is never only about football.”
Spain legend Sergio Ramos on 23 February announced his retirement from international football, revealing that he is not part of head coach Luis de la Fuente's plans.
An overview of the news
Ramos has played 180 international matches, a football career that spanned almost 18 years.
Ramos was dropped from the national team set up by former coach Luis Enrique and hasn't featured in the squad since March 2021.
The new Spain coach also informed Ramos of his decision to drop him from the team, which eventually led to his decision to retire.
Spain’s Sergio Ramos announced international football retirement
Paris Saint-Germain’s and former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has announced that he is retiring from international football. After a record 180 appearances for Spain. Ramos, who was part of Spain’s World Cup and Euro winning teams had represented Real Madrid in La Liga and now plays for PSG in Ligue 1.
Ramos made his Spain debut in 2005 while still a teenager playing for Sevilla. He played in seven major tournaments for his country, winning three, but was left out of the squad by Luis Enrique for Euro 2020, played in 2021, and the 2022 World Cup. His last appearance for La Roja came on March 31, 2021, when he played four minutes in a 3-1 win over Kosovo.