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.
The former Real Madrid player Sergio Ramos is about to join a new team
In an unexpected turn of events, Sergio Ramos, a great figure in football, is set to play in Turkey. Besiktas has emerged as the victorious candidate for his signing, apparently outperforming Galatasaray. The 37-year-old, who just said goodbye to Paris Saint-Germain, appears to be close to donning the team colors of Senol Gunes.
After concluding his time in Paris, Ramos entered a phase of unrestricted player status, fueling speculations about a potential reunion with former Real Madrid colleagues Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League. As Ramos’ illustrious career extends into uncharted territory within the world of football, enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the commencement of his forthcoming journey.
All eyes are on Besiktas’ impending proposition to the Spanish defender’s camp in a football extravaganza as they wait for the go-ahead to start a new European adventure, this time in Turkey. Ramos’ two-year stint at PSG, during which he won back-to-back Ligue 1 championships, has come to an end.
His exit aligns with the departures of other pivotal figures, signifying PSG’s ongoing reorganization. Besiktas is close to securing the services of a 16-year-old defensive prodigy with a distinguished history at Real Madrid, marking a fresh chapter in his impressive career as they prepare for a potential triumph.
Besiktas-bound Ramos had vowed he would never leave Real Madrid.
Photo: Instagram / Sergio Ramos
Ramos left Real Madrid in 2021 with a heavy heart, leaving an enduring legacy as a real Los Blancos legend. The seasoned defender fervently proclaimed his persistent wish to linger at the famed Bernabéu grounds, nonetheless, amid this farewell.
The resolute Spanish player explained that the all-encompassing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily halted negotiations for a new contract. He detailed how the subsequent offer in the following summer materialized as a short-term, one-year agreement that came with a reduction in salary.
“I would like to clarify that I never wanted to leave Real Madrid, I always wanted to continue here. The club offered me the chance to renew my contract but with COVID and everything it kept being put off.” an article from sportskeeda.com shared.
The former captain of Spain made an impressive move in 2005 when he moved from Sevilla to Madrid for €27 million. He currently holds the fourth-highest position in terms of appearances ever, behind only Raul, Iker Casillas, and Manolo Sanchis, which is evidence of his continuing impact on the field.
The football fans are fixated on who is the greatest of all time in the soccer arena with the duel between Cristiano Ronald and Lionel Messi entering its last global phase, perhaps.
Nonetheless, Ronaldo and Messi are the only two popular and talented players in our era who have never won the World Cup.
While it is true that Portugal is not a large team with many talented players that can easily claim the title of World Cup winner, the same cannot be said for Argentina, a country that has produced two World Cup victories so far.
Argentina has reached the World Cup final on four occasions. It was defeated by the Uruguay national team way back in 1930, which is the inaugural World Cup competition.
However, Argentina produced excellent football in the competition winning by big scores and establishing Guillermo Stábile, an Argentine professional football player and manager who played as a centre forward during his career, as the top scorer of the 1930 World Cup, scoring 8 goals including a hattrick.
Alas, it lost the final against the gritty Uruguayans with the match ending in a 4-2 win for Uruguay.
Argentina was also defeated in two other finals, in 1990 and 2014, against Germany and the latter went on to win those two finals by 1-0. In 1990, it was the last appearance for maestro Diego Maradona.
But Messi’s country produced two great final victories against the Netherlands in 1974, winning 3-1 in a display of magical soccer between the two opponents (Netherlands had the father of modern football Johan Cryuiff in its squad) and beating Germany in a thrilling 3-2 final giving Maradona his only World Cup final win.
While Messi lost in the first ever final in which he participated in 2014, Ronaldo’s Portugal never reached the final though the troubled Manchester United superstar has played in 4 World Cups since 2006.
Who Will Smile at the 2022 World Cup?
We wrote that Ronaldo is a player who sets precedence and sets the tone for styles and goal scoring prowesses. This is so true for the great player and he is also the first to win a ‘regional’ trophy with his country when Portugal won its first ever Euro Championship in 2016, beating France 1-0 in the final after extra time.
It was Ronaldo’s most important national trophy, leaving the World Cup as the only major international trophy he has yet to win.
The star is going through the most turbulent and disturbing period in his football career and his coach at Manchester United is not helping the player with his dictatorial style and his bullying of one of the greatest soccer stars of all time.
This is not going to help Ronaldo in Portugal’s search for a place in the final at Qatar though we know that the latter cna rise to the occasion if he can put all his woes behind him and focus on the football on the field.
A great performance by Ronald at the World Cup will make Eric Ten Hag look like a fool. But Ronaldo is going through pain and this may, unfortunately for his fans and for football, Ten Hag is contributing to a potentially bad World Cup for the latter.
Ten Hag has- sadly – never played in any World Cup and is already seen as a troubled coach at Man Utd. The 6-3 defeat against Manchester City and the 4-0 drubbing against Brentford are two big dark spots in his managerial career at Old Trafford. Another misstep with a drubbing by a small club or a big one for that matter may mean Ten Hag could see the gate wide open for him to be excluded from the club.
Why sadly? He does not know how precarious it is to be a player who is going to play in a World Cup. If he knew, he would have been more careful in his choices with Ronaldo.
Nevertheless, Lionel Messi is not facing such worries and the Argentinian ace is in the running as one of the top rated players who may perform well in Qatar.
Messi has announced that this may be his last call for Argentina in the World Cup and that he may retire as an international soccer player, meaning he might not play for his country again after Qatar 2022.
Ronaldo has responded to Messi’s plans for retirement from international football by saying he hopes Messi would reconsider and would continue to play as long as he can because he believes the latter is a great player with great capacities.
This is how Ronaldo is. He encourages his opponents to carry on and to perform in order to bring brightness to the most beautiful game on the planet. Unlike some people.
Messi’s World Cup?
Among all the stars in Qatar, Messi will undoubtedly be looked upon as one of the greatest and he will become the greatest versus Ronaldo if Argentina reaches the final and wins.
Messi too started his World Cup appearances in 2006. Unfortunately, like Ronaldo, he has been putting more emphasis on clus football – which brings them more cash – than national football.
Unlike people like Pele for example, who played for their country with the same grit and enthusiasm when they played for their clubs – Pele won many club titles and World Cup finals at the same time – it does not appear the same for the modern ‘Peles’.
However, Messi has a chance now and if he forgets club soccer for a while, perhaps he may spark a riot at the World Cup and bring the trophy home to Buenos Aires and consecrate himself as the GOAT of our generation.
Messi has scored six goals in 19 matches at the Fifa World Cup spanning four editions. Argentina is a bigger soccer country than Portugal, though Portugal has also produced aces like Ronaldo and the once thrilling Eusebio whose team beat Pele’s in the 1966 World Cup.
Ronaldo has scored seven goals in 17 matches at the FIFA World Cup, scoring in every edition he has played in – 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
While Ronaldo has advised Messi to continue playing in the World Cup or at International level for a few more years, this year may be his last World Cup.
But depending on his spirit and where he is playing after he leaves Manchester United – unless Ten Hag is kicked out of Old Trafford earlier than January 2023 – Ronaldo may still attempt to give Portugal another shot at the World Cup in 2026! Imagine that.
Nevertheless, it is a pity that none of them have lifted the World Cup trophy, just like the legendary Cryuff who re-invented football with his total soccer styles, reached the final in 1974 and lost to Germany by 2-1.
Cryuff missed the World Cup in 1978 which saw the Netherlands reach the final only to be defeated by host Argentina by 3-1. He did not participate in the World Cup for obscure reasons but in 2008 he revealed why he did not play for the country in 1978.
He told the media that there was a kidnapping attempt on him and his family and that shocked him and while he escaped the attempt, it changed his perspective on life.
Hence, Messi is the best placed in the Qatar 2022 versus Ronaldo who is going through a difficult time, to go and win the cup for once!
FEW ever heard of 31-year-old Frenchman Antoine Griezmann.
He always played a low-key at Qatar’s World Cup.
But rightly so, he was at the centre of the praise on Wednesday night after a sensational performance in France’s 2-0 win over a brave Morocco side in their World Cup semi-final.
The midfielder produced a brilliantly elusive run to set up France’s first goal after just five minutes, and was a menace for the Atlas Lions all evening as he continued to excel in a more combative role than he has often played.
TOP CLASS SHOW
Former England legend striker Alan Shearer, who anchors the BBC coverage of the Qatar tournament, felt Griezmann was the best player on the pitch, as he explained: “he was man of the match for me”.
He added: “You’ve got to give credit to the way (coach) Didier Deschamps has used him. He’s a super talent, a really clever player who reads the game really well. When you think of the players they’ve got missing, him and Aurelien Tchouameni were fantastic on the defensive work.’
Likewise, Didier Drogba was also impressed by the changes Griezmann had made to play a deeper role, saying he “looked more like N’Golo Kante”, but was still able to move like a true forward as “it’s like cycling, you never forget it!”
NOT SCORED SO FAR
Ironically, Griezmann has not scored a single goal at the World Cup in Qatar but has created several chances while also dropping deep and breaking up play.
“I feel good in my legs, in my mind…the work I did on vacation and later with Atletico did me good, it was what I needed. I try to help the team as much as possible, as always,” Griezmann said.
There was also praise from former England star defender Rio Ferdinand, who called him “the best defensive player in the tournament” before adding: ‘We could show great clips of him getting forward and creating things but we can probably show you as many clips of his defending.’
At 35, this World Cup is almost certain to be Messi’s last chance of winning the prestigious honour. Griezmann knows this and is concerned about facing his former Barcelona team-mate. He said: “When a team has Leo with them, it’s completely different.”
Griezmann, who is being deployed in a deeper role by France boss Deschamps, insisted he was impressed by Morocco after Wednesday’s game. Yet the Atletico Madrid forward is expecting a much tougher tie against Argentina on Sunday.
Will he now get another chance to show his skills on Sunday and steal the big show?
* Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor.
YOU cannot beat sheer class. He’s simply hailed as a “phenomenon”.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, even without a club, hit the headlines as the first footballer to score in five World Cup tournaments.
Certainly more to come but he makes goal-scoring look so very easy as he netted from the penalty spot in Portugal’s 3-2 victory over Ghana at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar.
Mind you, he is 37 and probably in his last World Cup Finals. The landmark comes just days after he had his contract terminated by his club team, Manchester United, following acontroversial interview in which he attacked the club, its manager, and its owners.
CREDIT TO TEAM
He laughed off his latest success by saying: “The first player to score goals at five World Cups, this makes me very proud…but credit must go to the team and we hope to continue with the winning streak.”
In almost every touch, he’s super class and Portugal boss Fernando Santo said of Ronaldo: “One of the best players in the world, one of the best players ever. In my books, he is a phenomenon, a legend like many who have come and gone before. In 50 years’ time, we will continue to speak about him.”
Including World Cups and European Championships, Ronaldo has now scored at 10 consecutive major tournaments. His penalty against Ghana this week saw him become Portugal’s oldest World Cup scorer ever, while he’s also his country’s youngest ever World Cup scorer, having scored his first goal at the tournament in 2006, at the age of 21.
TOP SCORER
Looking back, in September 2021, he also became the top scorer in international soccer history, after netting a brace against the Republic of Ireland. Those two goals took his total to 111 – moving him two ahead of Iran’s Ali Daei in the record books.
More from this mega-star? Ronaldo also surpassed Sergio Ramos’ record for the most international appearances by a European player last year, and became the first player to score 10 hat-tricks in men’s international football, after scoring three in a 5-0 win against Luxembourg.
Biggest salutes to Ronaldo…you just cannot beat sheer goal-scoring class.
* Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor
Cristiano Ronaldo demonstrates his strength by bowing out gracefully after Portugal’s 1-0 World Cup loss to Morocco. It is uncommon to see one of the biggest football stars become enraged or go on an accusation rampage after their country is eliminated in the most unceremonious manner.
In a post on his Facebook page, he says winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of his career. “Fortunately I won many titles of international dimension, including with Portugal, but putting our country’s name on the highest foot in the World was my biggest dream.”
The dream crashed after a magnificent performance by Morocco, the only African representatives left in the World Cup. Morocco is playing against France in the semi-finals this Thursday (Malaysia time) and Ronaldo would surely miss the challenge and the adrenaline of such an encounter.
The worst case scenario has happened for Ronaldo after his brutal exit from Manchester United where he says he was un-welcomed and now his future with the national team too is questioned.
Head on his shoulder
Cristiano Ronaldo “revealed” on Instagram that the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be his final tournament, which isn’t a huge shock considering he’ll be 41 by the time the USA, Mexico, and Canada tournament rolls around in 2026.
Ronaldo was uninspiring for the most part of his participation in the match against Morocco. But he had one chance to bring Portugal to equalise against the Maghribi side if not for the mighty save by the goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo showed calmness in the aftermath of the defeat.
“I fought for it . I fought hard for this dream. In the 5 appearances I scored in World Cups over 16 years, I was always by the side of great players and supported by millions of Portuguese, I gave my all. Leave it all out on the field. I never turned my face to the fight and I never gave up on that dream,” he said.
He adds, “sadly the dream ended’ and that It is not worth reacting to heat of the moment.
He however, laments what he calls the lies and misinformation spread about him.
“I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal has not changed not for a moment. I was always one fighting for the objective of all and I would never turn my back on my colleagues and my country.
“Not much more to say for now. Thank you Portugal. Thank you Qatar The dream was nice while it lasted… Now, it’s hoping that the weather will be good advisor and allow each one to draw their own conclusions. ??❤️??”
Ronaldo and World Cup goals
He now has 10 goals overall after the four goals he has already scored in the 2022 World Cup. Ronaldo and Portugal were eliminated, so he won’t have a chance to add to his eight goals.
The remarkable total of 195 international appearances held by Malaysian football legend Datuk Soh Chin Aun has been surpassed by Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal’s 37-year-old Ronaldo made his 196th appearance for his country in Saturday’s quarterfinal match against Morocco at the World Cup being held in Qatar.
Portugal has made it to the FIFA World Cup final round eight times, including in 1966, 1986, 2002, and every subsequent final round. As of 2022, their third-place finish in 1966 and fourth in 2006 remain their best finishes.
Eusebio remains the best
Despite Ronaldo’s best performances for his country, he is still not as good as Eusebio in some sense.
The one FIFA World Cup the Portuguese international Eusébio da Silva Ferreira participated in was sufficient for him to manage this record.
In 1966, Portugal qualified for the World Cup for the first time, and to everyone’s surprise, they finished in third place. Eusebio had a major impact on that edition.
The 1965 Ballon d’Or winner beat Korea DPR in the quarterfinals with four goals, advancing them to the semifinal. They lost to England, who went on to win the competition. The tournament’s Golden boot was won by Eusebio, also known as the Black Panther.
