How Did Real Madrid Legend Ramos End Up Playing In Mexico?

Real Madrid fable Sergio Ramos playing successful nan knockout stages of a Fifa Club World Cup mightiness not consciousness that noteworthy - isolated from it is for Mexican nine Monterrey.

It amazed galore erstwhile nan 39-year-old, considered 1 of football's top centre-backs, rocked up astatine Monterrey successful February.

With 5 goals - each headers and penalties - and a reddish paper successful his first 12 games for nan club, he is already replaying each his top hits.

And nan skipper has led them to nan past 16 of nan Club World Cup, wherever they play Borussia Dortmund successful Atlanta astatine 02:00 BST connected Wednesday.

"I'd for illustration to extremity my shot profession connected a victorious note," he told Fifa, external successful nan build-up to nan tournament.

"That opportunity to easy lend and play successful these kinds of competitions is what made my competitory tone footwear successful and convinced maine to subordinate nan club."

BBC Sport looks astatine really Ramos and Monterrey, who sacked a erstwhile Manchester City defender arsenic head and replaced him pinch an ex-City coach successful May, are getting on.

Players do not travel overmuch much dressed up than Ramos. His spell astatine Real Madrid, wherever he made 671 appearances, resulting successful 4 Champions Leagues and 5 La Liga titles. Plus 4 Fifa Club World Cups.

He was a cardinal cog successful 1 of world football's astir ascendant teams arsenic he won Euro 2008, nan 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 during his 180-cap Spain career.

But by February 2025 he had not played competitory shot for almost 9 months, having ended his 2nd spell astatine Sevilla astatine nan extremity of 2024-25.

And truthful came nan telephone from Monterrey, who are besides known by their nickname of Rayados.

They are five-time champions of Mexico - and five-time Concacaf Champions League winners - including successful 2021, which meant they would compete successful this summer's Club World Cup.

Ramos accepted nan offer, a one-year woody to go Monterrey's apical earner.

Rayados president Jose Antonio Noriega said to the Athletic, external successful February astir really they persuaded Ramos to join.

"It's a package deal. There is nary azygous aspect, Sergio is not convinced by conscionable 1 thing," said Noriega, a erstwhile midfielder for Monterrey and Mexico.

"We are a squad that fights for titles and that attracts Sergio. But surely that wouldn't beryllium enough.

"It's a superior squad pinch a bully estimation and nan metropolis is nice. It's an accumulation of things that Sergio recovered fulfilling. Also nan truth that each twelvemonth location are 5 championships and 1 of them this twelvemonth is nan Club World Cup, which is special."

He added: "We knew location was a marketplace for Sergio. We heard astir nan liking from San Diego FC, from immoderate clubs successful Brazil and immoderate successful Saudi Arabia.

"Let maine show you a metaphor - it's for illustration erstwhile you want to autumn successful emotion pinch a girl. The only measurement to make a woman autumn successful emotion is to beryllium yourself. We were for illustration that pinch Ramos.

"We told him 'this is who we are, this is what we tin springiness you'. Fortunately, we understood each other."

Ramos took nan 93 garment number for a reasonably unsocial reason.

That was nan infinitesimal of his header to unit other clip successful nan 2013 Champions League last betwixt Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid - which his broadside went connected to triumph to complete 'La Decima', their long-awaited 10th European title.

He went consecutive successful arsenic Rayados skipper and has already ticked disconnected each nan things that defined him during his career.

In 12 games he has scored 5 goals - which takes his profession extremity tally to 145. Three headers and 2 penalties.

One of those goals was against Inter Milan successful this tournament.

He has besides managed a reddish paper for kicking an opponent.

"It was evident I couldn't time off this convention without a reddish card," he wrote connected societal media pinch a winking emoji.

He has besides been impressed by Monterrey's fans.

"The passion of nan fans has really blown maine away," he told Fifa.

"I had only ever visited nan state connected holiday, truthful I had a different perspective.

"When I first arrived present and met nan fans, I noticed that their cognition is very akin to what you find successful Argentina. They person a heavy relationship pinch their team, and whether you triumph aliases suffer tin make aliases break their day.

Monterrey are not considered 1 of Mexico's very biggest clubs - pinch 9 clubs having won much titles.

But their mean attendance successful nan Mexican convention was higher than anyone other past season, 44,145.

Their owners are rich | - Femsa is simply a multinational institution based successful Monterrey who are celebrated for their portion successful nan drinks industry.

Before signing Ramos, chap Spaniards Sergio Canales - who won 11 caps and played for Real Madrid - and Oliver Torres were already astatine nan club.

Ramos, Torres, Jesus Corona and Lucas Ocampos person each played for Sevilla.

Not agelong earlier nan tourney though, nan attraction was connected nan manager.

In April, midfielder Canales severely trim his limb aft kicking a solid doorway pursuing an statement pinch Martin Demichelis.

The pursuing period Demichelis, nan erstwhile Manchester City and Argentina defender, was sacked aft losing successful nan Liga MX quarter-finals.

And successful his spot came Catalan Domenec Torrent, who was adjunct head to Pep Guardiola astatine Barcelona B, their first team, Bayern Munich and Manchester City earlier leaving successful 2018 to go a manager.

These person been Torrent's first 3 games successful complaint of Rayados, draws pinch Inter Milan and River Plate and a 4-0 triumph complete Urawa Reds.

In that Inter crippled they made headlines for an different divided wall for a free-kick - wherever they had 2 walls and a spread successful betwixt successful beforehand of nan goalkeeper.

Anything else? Oh yes, Monterrey and Scottish broadside Dundee announced a link-up successful November.

Dundee midfielder Fin Robertson trained pinch Monterrey for 2 weeks this summertime and location were moreover rumours he could beryllium signed connected for nan Club World Cup, but he has returned to Dundee now.