13 facts you probably didn’t know about Sergio Ramos. Some may surprise you

Sergio Ramos is one of the most significant figures in modern football history. In this article, we take a look at 13 facts you probably don’t know about him.

Sergio Ramos recently announced his retirement from the Spanish national team and at 36 years old, he is already in the last phase of his active career as a professional footballer. In that time, he has experienced a lot of success, especially in the jersey of Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.

His aggressive style of play makes him a fearsome striker even now in the Paris Saint-Germain team, but he has certainly not focused only on defending. He scored more than 100 goals in his career, making him one of the highest scoring defenders in the history of the sport.

Familiar information for football fans. But did you know the following facts about him?

At one time, the most expensive Spanish teenager

At the time of his transfer from Sevilla to Real Madrid in 2005, he was the most expensive Spanish teenager in the history of the sport. 27 million euros was a very high amount indeed at the time, but it certainly paid off for Real Madrid.

Together with the Portuguese Pep, they formed a duo that made opposing strikers feel sick to their stomachs. The defence led by this duo has led the Spanish club to some of the greatest successes in football history, especially in the Champions League.

Nicknamed after the famous German footballer and coach

As a young boy, Ramos played offensive midfield and was nicknamed “Bernd Schuster” by his teammates after the famous German goal scorer. This may also have helped him develop the skills that helped him score so many goals even as a defender.

As fate would have it, he met the German football icon at Real Madrid, where Schuster coached him from 2007-2008. Quite a coincidence, don’t you think?

A passionate horse lover

Ramos is a passionate horse enthusiast. In 2016, he became the owner of a horse named Yucatan de Ramos, who even participates in equestrian competitions. In 2018, he won the award for the best purebred Spanish horse in the world at the International Horse Show.

The best Spanish footballer of all time

Ramos is the best Spanish footballer of all time. He made his debut for the Spanish national team in 2005 and played 180 matches during his career.

During this time, he helped Spain win the European Championship twice (in 2008 and 2012) and the World Cup once (in 2010). His 180 games for the Spanish national team broke Iker Casillas’ previous record of 167 games.

The youngest European to reach 100 international matches

In 2013, Ramos made his 100th national team start for Spain and became the youngest European player to reach this spectacular milestone.

In this match, his goal secured a draw with the Finland team during a World Cup qualifying match in 2014.

A bullfighting enthusiast

Ramos has expressed his admiration for bullfighting on more than one occasion and has been seen taking part in such events in the past. Footage of the footballer celebrating the successes of Real Madrid and the Spanish national team in the costume worn by bullfighters just during the corrida has made the rounds of the football world many times.

He has never scored for Spain in a major tournament

It has already been written that Ramos is one of the highest scoring defenders in history and has scored an impressive 21 goals for his country. But strangely enough, he has never scored for Spain in a major tournament.

All of his 21 goals have come in qualifying matches, friendlies or in the Nations League. Outside of penalty shootouts, he has never managed to score at the World Cup, the European Championship or even the FIFA Confederations Cup.

Most red cards in La Liga history

This statistic will probably surprise few given the 36-year-old stopper’s style of play. Ramos has received the most red cards in the history of the top Spanish football league.

During his career, he has been sent off 20 times in La Liga matches. In his entire career as a professional footballer, he has received a total of 28 red cards.

Ninth top scorer in the Spanish national team

As already written, Sergio Ramos is a really special defender. His ability to force his way out of standard situations has been truly exceptional throughout his career.

Being in the top 10 top scorers of Spain only proves the aforementioned. Moreover, sharing the ninth spot with a legend like Alfredo Di Stéfano speaks for itself.

He didn’t win a Champions League knockout until he was 25

Ramos has four Champions League titles to his name from 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Not many footballers can boast such a collection. However, few know that he has not won a single knockout stage match in this competition until he was 25 years old.

He has never played LM with Sevilla and during his first years with Los Blancos, Real Madrid were eliminated in the eighth finals of the competition. However, in the 2010/2011 season, the team under José Mourinho made it to the quarter-finals of the LM against Tottenham. Given his other successes, however, he need not be sorry.

Tattoos after every Champions League win

Ramos is one of the footballers who often express his views through tattoos on his body. But few know that he has tattoos on his leg that commemorate all four of his Champions League winners’ trophies and their venue.

He married a beautiful journalist

Ramos married TV personality and journalist Pilar Rubio in 2019, with their ceremony taking place in a beautiful cathedral in Seville, southern Spain.

The wedding definitely had a star-studded cast. The ceremony was attended by many of Ramos’ teammates and celebrities from the world of sports, including Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham and Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez. The star couple has four children together.

Source:: Goal.com