Sergio Ramos, one of the most iconic defenders in modern football, has announced his retirement from his career. With a career that spanned over two decades and an impressive list of accolades, it’s safe to say that Ramos is leaving behind a legacy that will be hard to match. In this blog post, we will delve into the incredible journey of Sergio Ramos during his 16-year spell at Real Madrid, exploring his many accomplishments and his impact on the world of football. From his numerous titles to his impressive goal-scoring record, join us as we take a closer look at the career of one of football’s greatest players.
Sergio Ramos 16 Years Career in Real Madrid
From 2005 to 2009: Early beginnings and significant transfers.
In 2005, Real Madrid bought Ramos for €27 million, which was a lot of money for a Spanish defender. He was the only Spanish player that was brought in when Florentino Pérez was the president of Real Madrid.
Ramos was given the number 4 shirt and he scored his first goal for the team on December 6, 2005, during a Champions League game. He played as a centre-back in his first few seasons, but was moved to right back later on. He scored more than 20 goals during his first four seasons with Real Madrid, which is unusual for a defender. He also got nine red cards during this time, including four in his first season.
During the 2006-07 season, Ramos helped Real Madrid win their 30th league title by scoring five goals, including one in a game against Barcelona. In the 2007-08 season, he helped Real Madrid win their 31st league title by scoring two goals in their final game of the season.
Ramos continued to play well in the 2008-09 season, and he was named in FIFA and UEFA’s 2008 Team of the Year, as well as the FIFPro Team of the Year 2007-08. He also came 21st in the European Player of the Year nomination for 2008.
2009–10 season
In 2009-2010, Ramos became one of Real Madrid’s four leaders. Pepe got hurt, so Ramos played as a central defender. He scored four goals in 33 league matches, and on February 21, 2010, he played his 200th official match for Real Madrid. He didn’t win any trophies that season, even though he had some good moments.
2010–11 season
In a football game between Real Madrid and Barcelona in 2010, Ramos was sent off the field for kicking Messi and pushing Puyol. This was his 10th time getting a red card while playing for Real Madrid, which tied a previous record. Later on, in a different game, Ramos played in the Copa del Rey final and helped his team win. During the victory celebration, he accidentally dropped the trophy, and it got damaged by the bus wheels.
2011–12 season
On 12 July 2011, Ramos agreed to continue playing for Real Madrid until 2017. But on 25 April, during a big game against Bayern Munich, he missed a penalty that would have helped his team win. They ended up losing 3-1. However, during the regular season, Real Madrid did really well and won the league with a record 100 points after not winning for four years. Ramos was an important player on the team and recovered the most balls for his team and was ranked third overall in the league.
2012–13 season
On January 9, 2013, Ramos got in trouble during a soccer game and was sent off by the referee. This means he had to leave the field and couldn’t play anymore. He also got a four-game punishment because he insulted the referee. The following month, during another game, he got two yellow cards in a very short time and had to leave the game again. This was the 16th time he was sent off in his career playing for Real Madrid, and 12 of those times were in the league. In late February and early March of that year, Ramos led Real Madrid to win two games against Barcelona in just four days. He scored the winning goal in the second game by heading the ball into the goal after a corner kick.
2013–14 season
In December 2013, Ramos got his 18th red card for Real Madrid but the suspension was lifted later. He got his 19th red card in March 2014 against Barcelona. In April, Ramos scored his first goal in La Liga in six months and then scored two headers in four minutes in a game against Bayern Munich, helping his team reach the Champions League final. He also scored in back-to-back league games and then scored his first free-kick goal in another game. In the Champions League final against Atlético Madrid, he headed home in the 93rd minute to tie the game 1-1 and Real Madrid won the game in extra time. He ended the 2013-2014 season with 7 goals, which was his highest scoring season for Real Madrid at the time.
2014–15 season
In 2014, Ramos played for Real Madrid and won the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla. He played in a match against Atlético Madrid and scored his first goal of the season in a match against Real Sociedad. He also scored his 50th goal in a match against Rayo Vallecano. In the FIFA Club World Cup, he scored in the semi-final and final, and was named Player of the Match and won the Golden Ball award for best player in the tournament.
2015–16 season
In 2015, Ramos agreed to stay with Real Madrid for five more years and became the team captain. He scored his first goal of the season in November but hurt his shoulder during the celebration. In December, he helped lead Madrid to a big victory over Rayo Vallecano. In March, he got his 20th red card in a game against Las Palmas but also scored a goal. In April, he was sent off again in a game against Barcelona. In the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final, Ramos scored a goal and a penalty kick to help Madrid win the game and become champions. He also stopped an important counterattack by tripping up an opponent. He was named man of the match and Madrid went on to play in the UEFA Super Cup. Ramos had a lot of injuries during the season and only played in 33 games, which was his lowest total at Madrid.
2016–17 season
Ramos played in important football matches for Real Madrid in 2016 and 2017. He helped his team win some matches with late goals, but also made a mistake that cost them a game. He scored his 50th goal in the Spanish league, played his 500th game for Real Madrid, and became the first player to captain a team to back-to-back European Cup wins in a long time. He was also sent off for a bad tackle in a game against Barcelona. Real Madrid won the league and the European Cup that year, with Ramos as the team captain.
2017–18 season
On August 20th, 2017, during Real Madrid’s first game of the 2017-2018 La Liga, Sergio Ramos got his 23rd red card in his career, which was his 18th in La Liga, making him tied for the highest number of red cards in La Liga history. He later broke that record when he received his 19th La Liga red card during a 0-0 draw with Athletic Bilbao. Ramos scored his first goal of the season on September 13th in the Champions League, when he scored a bicycle kick against APOEL on match-day 1. In La Liga, Ramos scored four goals, including two penalties against Leganes and Sevilla. During the 2017-2018 UEFA Champions League, he made eleven appearances and scored one goal when Madrid won their third consecutive and 13th overall Champions League title. However, Ramos received criticism for his performance in the final, where he injured Mohamed Salah and hit Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius in the head with his elbow. Ramos denied intentionally hitting Karius and became the first player to captain a team to three consecutive Champions League triumphs.
2018–19 season
Sergio Ramos scored several goals and reached important milestones during the 2018-2019 season. He became the team’s new penalty taker and scored three penalties in the first few months of the season. He also scored a Panenka, a type of penalty kick, in multiple games. Ramos played in several matches and broke records, including playing in his 600th game for Real Madrid. However, he faced criticism for deliberately getting a yellow card in a game against Ajax, which led to his suspension from the next match. Real Madrid was eliminated from the Champions League, and Ramos faced more criticism for being caught filming a documentary during the game.
2019–20 season
Ramos is a soccer player who has scored several goals during the 2019-2020 season. He scored his first goal in the Champions League against Club Brugge, and another in a game against Leganés. Ramos also played in El Clasico, which was his 43rd time, breaking the all-time appearance record. He helped Real Madrid win the Supercopa de España final by scoring a winning penalty in a shoot-out. Ramos scored in Real Madrid’s first game back after the COVID-19 pandemic break, and he broke the record for the most goals scored by a defender in La Liga. He also scored many penalties, which helped his team win games.
2020–21: Final season
In September and October of 2020, Sergio Ramos scored goals and set records for Real Madrid in both the La Liga and Champions League matches. In January 2021, he took injections to play in a match before undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee. He made a speedy recovery and returned to play in March. However, he missed some matches due to COVID-19 and later sustained an injury in his left hamstring, causing him to miss the rest of the season. In June 2021, Real Madrid announced that Ramos would leave the club after 16 years, and during his farewell event, he revealed that he had accepted a one-year contract renewal with a salary reduction, but the offer had expired without his knowledge.
Records in this 16 Years in Real Madrid
During his 16 years with Real Madrid, Sergio Ramos had an impressive record. He played in over 670 matches and scored over 100 goals in all competitions. He won 22 major trophies, including 5 La Liga titles, 4 Champions League titles, and 4 Club World Cup titles, among others. Ramos also set records for Real Madrid, including the record for the most appearances by a foreign player in the club’s history and the record for the most goals scored by a defender in the club’s history.
Also read:
- List of International Goals Scored by Sergio Ramos
- List of Awards and Honors Received by Sergio Ramos
Image source: Getty Images