Sergio Ramos’ Greatest Moments for the Spanish National Team

One of many many tattoos littered throughout Sergio Ramos’ physique reads: “A lion by no means loses sleep over the opinion of sheep.”

As a participant so readily solid as a grasp of the darkish arts, it is not an unwise maxim to stay by.

Whereas Ramos has definitely endured the ire of opponents and followers in a profession spanning greater than a decade and a half, the last word anti-hero has racked up numerous accolades for each barb which has inevitably rolled off his again (or mane).

Now La Roja’s most capped worldwide, this is Ramos’ finest worldwide moments.

Nonetheless at his hometown facet of Sevilla, Luis Aragones known as up an 18-year-old Ramos in March 2005 to Spain’s senior facet for a pleasant in opposition to China.

On the time, Ramos was the second-youngest participant to make his debut for La Roja for the reason that Second World Struggle, however Aragones was sometimes blunt in his clarification, telling {the teenager}: “I don’t care that you just’re 18,” as recounted on Ramos’ official web site. “You’re taking part in in La Liga each Sunday.”

Earlier than the match had even begun, Ramos was hovering on the verge of inflicting bother by dispensing his very public opinion about group choice.

Spain’s coach Aragones did not share Ramos’ view that his Actual Madrid teammate Raul needs to be picked and the pair had been caught in a heated argument halfway by means of the match. Nonetheless, Ramos was an ever-present for the knockout phases as Spain claimed the title.

Ramos celebrated carrying a t-shirt devoted to his former Sevilla teammate Antonio Puerta a yr after he handed away. Spain’s captain continues to put on the quantity 15 for his nationwide group as a tribute to Puerta to this present day.

Vicente del Bosque ensured his facet went simply 13 minutes with out Ramos on their technique to the nation’s maiden World Cup crown. Nonetheless being deployed as an brisk right-back, not a lot occurred within the closing phases of that second group sport in opposition to Honduras, as Spain noticed out a 2-0 win, a uncommon extravagant scoreline for the masters of a ‘1-0’ victory.

Having been completely put in because the facet’s centre-back alongside Gerard Pique, Ramos exerted much more affect on the nation’s defence.

For a golden period remembered most for his or her intricate passing and technical supremacy, Spain (and Ramos) boast a ridiculous defensive report on this period. In ten knockout video games at main tournaments between 2008 and 2012, Ramos did not miss a single minute and Spain did not concede a single aim.

One of many uncommon cases when the Spanish publication Marca did not succumb to hyperbole (concerning a Madrid-based participant specifically) was the opening sentence after Ramos’ a hundredth cap in opposition to Finland in 2013: “Mejor imposible.”

On the day he grew to become the youngest Spain worldwide to make a century of appearances, Ramos captained the facet and opened the scoring with a superbly positioned header. In English? Higher not possible.

As a participant who has mentioned he has a ‘striker’s soul’, maybe it should not be too stunning that Ramos ranks amongst Spain’s highest goalscorers regardless of his deeper beginning place.

Solely 9 different gamers within the historical past of Spain’s nationwide soccer group have as many as 20 objectives. Ramos joined this elite record in the summertime of 2019 with a penalty in opposition to Sweden.

This strike got here within the midst of a run during which Ramos, admittedly the facet’s penalty taker however a centre-back nonetheless, netted eight objectives in 9 appearances.

Whereas Joshua King’s 94th minute equalising penalty could get misplaced within the fog of time, Ramos ensured Spain’s 1-1 draw with Norway in October 2019 will eternally have a spot in his nation’s historical past. Ramos marked the evening along with his 168th cap, eclipsing the tally held by long-time teammate and pal Iker Casillas.

Instantly Ramos had his sights set on the long run, declaring: “I’m emotional each time I placed on this shirt,” as quoted by the BBC. “That won’t change and I hope to proceed doing so for a few years.”

He’s now European soccer’s most capped worldwide participant, with the world report in his sights.