Sergio Ramos, a household name after Spain beat the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa, is attempting to make a comeback into the Spanish team after a scintillating performance this season at the Paris St Germain club.
But will he be get to showcase his talent and adorn the field for Spain, one last time?
Sergio Ramos has made a last-ditch appeal to Spain manager Luis Enrique to include him in the national squad for the World Cup in Qatar for the first time in 18 months, according to a UK paper.
Ramos has 180 appearances for Spain’s senior team and the 36-year-old is the club’s most-capped player of all time. But he has not seen any selection in Spain’s first team and is dropped from the national squad.
Since early 2021 he has been bogged down by ongoing fitness issues. Ramos has not played for Spain since leaving Real Madrid as a free agent last summer to join Paris Saint-Germain.
The imposing central defender had a difficult year of fitness issues, which coincided with him dropping out of the Spanish squad and struggling for regular football.
But this season, however, he has enjoyed a resurgence of form and fortune in the French capital and this has prompted him to offer his services to defend the colours of Spain.
He represented Spain in four World Cups and three European Championships. He won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 UEFA European Championships, and he was named to the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2010, as well as the UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament in 2012.
Many would think that he has done his time but at 36 and with a resurgent career with PSG along the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylan Mbappe, some would give him another chance.
He has said in an interview published on Marca, “Everyone knows what playing for Spain means to me. I feel good, I’m available, but it’s a decision that doesn’t depend on me, it depends on the coach (Luis Enrique).
“I respect him a lot. I can only continue playing and waiting. I hope to have the opportunity to participate in a new World Cup.”
Sergio Ramos and Roger Milla
The struggle of Ramos is similar to that of Roger Milla who adorned the famous Cameroun jerseys in the World Cup and became another household name across the globe for this prowess.
Milla played as a forward and was one of the first African players to be major stars on the international stage. He played in three World Cups for the Cameroon national team.
Sergio Ramos rose to international prominence at the age of 38, when most forwards have retired, by scoring four goals in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, making him the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history.
Sergio Ramos was instrumental in Cameroon becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup quarterfinals. Milla broke his own record as the oldest World Cup goalscorer four years later, when he scored against Russia in the 1994 FIFA World Cup at the age of 42.
At the time, the world was captivated by Milla’s appearance on the field, and fans were ecstatic about his performances.
While Africa seem to be in need of another generation of Milla, Spain could probably bring back a powerful defender like Sergio Ramos to give another outlook to the game in Qatar.
After all, two of the best soccer players in the world today are also playing for their respective countries. Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal and Lionel Messi for Argentina are not much younger than the Spaniard.
Ronaldo is 37 and will play an important, albeit his last, role in the World Cup while Messi, 35 hopes he can win the cup for his country, at last.