Former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has announced his retirement from international football after a phone conversation with La Roja’s new manager, Luis de la Fuente.
The 36-year-old defender, considered one of the best of his generation, is Spain’s most-capped player and was a crucial member of the Spanish teams that won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and also emerged as double UEFA European Champions in 2008 and 2012.
Ramos made the announcement through a statement on his social media channels. It read:
“The time has come, the time to say goodbye to the National Team, our beloved and exciting Red,” Ramos wrote.
“This morning I received the call from the current coach who told me that he doesn’t count and that he won’t count on me, regardless of the level I can show or how I continue my sporting career.”
“With great regret, it is the end of a journey that I hoped would be longer and that would end with a better taste in the mouth, on the height of all the successes we have achieved with our Red,” the statement continued.
“Humbly, I think that that career deserved to end because of a personal decision or because my performance was not up to what our National Team deserves, but not because of age or other reasons that, without having heard them, I have felt.”
“Because 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 Modric, Messi, Pepe… the essence, tradition, values, meritocracy and justice in football.
“Unfortunately, it won’t be like that for me, because football is not always fair and football is never just football. Through it all I take it with this sadness that I want to share with you, but also with my head very high and very grateful for all these years and for all your support.
“I take back indelible memories, all the titles we have fought and celebrated all together and the tremendous pride of being the Spanish player with the most internationalities. This shield, this shirt and this fan, all of you have made me happy.
“I will continue to cheer on my country from home with the thrill of the privileged who has been able to proudly represent it 180 times. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who always believed in me!”
Ramos made his first appearance for Spain in 2005 as a teenager and enjoyed so much success with the national team, receiving numerous competition call-ups, including going to four FIFA World Cups, three UEFA Euros, and two FIFA Confederation Cup tournaments.
He went on to play 180 times for Spain, scoring 23 goals. However, he was not called up to the national squads for both Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, where Spain suffered a shock elimination against Morocco, leading to the departure of former manager Luis Enrique.
De la Fuente took Enrique’s place in the dugout, and the manager has subsequently acknowledged that the defender was not in his plans.
Ramos will now turn his attention to his club side Paris Saint-Germain, who are attempting to win their fifth Ligue 1 title in six years and their first ever UEFA Champions League by overturning a 1-0 first-leg defeat to Bayern Munich.
