His 180th and last selection dates from March 31, 2021. An entry into play and a few minutes played against Kosovo in a qualifying match for the 2022 World Cup. Sergio Ramos would have dreamed of another end, even if this meeting took place at his home in Seville. Like playing Euro 2021 or the World Cup in Qatar and going away with a title. But his numerous injuries and his playing time, at Real Madrid and then at PSG decided otherwise.
This Thursday, the 36-year-old PSG defender announced on his networks that he was ending his international career in a long text. “The time has come, the time to say goodbye to the selection, our dear and moving Roja, he writes. This morning, I received a call from the current coach who explained to me that he was not counting on me, regardless of what I can show or how my sporting career continues. With a lot of regrets, it’s the end of a journey that I would have liked longer”.
Sergio Ramos “assumes with sadness” this decision and “looks with admiration and envy at Modric, Messi or Pepe”. He regrets that “the values, meritocracy and justice of football” are “not the same” concerning him. Luis de la Fuente, appointed coach to replace Luis Enrique at the end of the World Cup in Qatar, stopped in the round of 16 for La Roja, therefore prefers to focus on a total renewal than on the presence of “elders”.
The former Real Madrid player leaves La Roja with an arm’s length record: a World Cup (2010), two European Championships (2008, 2012) and, therefore, 180 caps (including 52 as captain), second highest total on European soil, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and his 196 caps with Portugal.