The last for Sergio Ramos. Recruited in 2021, the 37-year-old Spanish defender will play his last match in the colors of Paris Saint-Germain against Clermont on Saturday. In recent weeks, the two parties have discussed a possible extension. Finally, the former Real Madrid manager will leave at the end of the season and his contract. “Paris Saint-Germain warmly greets Sergio Ramos, who is preparing to leave the capital after two seasons spent defending the colors of the Club”, can we read in a glowing press release, the club with 11 French championship titles welcoming the behavior of this “great professional, (who) knew how to bring experience, rigor, but also a competitive soul, driven by a sense of sacrifice and the hunger to win everything”.
Same story on the side of Nasser Al-Khelaïfi: “We would like to express our immense gratitude to Sergio Ramos for the two years he spent with us. Sergio’s leadership, team spirit and professionalism, combined with his experience at the highest level, make him a true footballing legend and it was an honor to have him in Paris. Everyone at the club wishes him the best,” swears the Qatari president of Paris Saint-Germain.
Quadruple winner of the Champions League at Real Madrid, where he played from 2005 to 2021 after wearing the colors of his training club, Sevilla FC, Ramos spent most of his time in the infirmary during his first year on the banks of the Seine. 13 small matches for him, most of which at the very end of the season … He had notably missed the double confrontation against Casa Blanca, in the round of 16 of C1. Spared by injuries, he has however regularly featured in the starting lineup and even been one of the players most used by Christophe Galtier during the 2022-23 campaign, with however uneven performances.
In the end, the man with 101 goals with Real Madrid (671 matches) played 57 games in Rouge et Bleu (5 goals), adding two French championship titles (2022, 2023) and a Champions Trophy (2023) to his collection, which notably includes two European champion titles (2008, 2012) and a world title (2010) with Spain (180 caps, 23 goals). Luis Enrique didn’t call him up for the last World Cup, however, and his successor, Luis de la Fuente, was quick to indicate his intention to turn the page on Ramos. The latter has therefore announced his international retirement. A priori, however, he has no intention of ending his career. “Paris Saint-Germain is delighted to have seen Sergio Ramos defend his colors with such determination and very sincerely wish him the best for the rest of his career”, launches the club of the capital, which will undoubtedly recover the 28-year-old Slovak international defender Milan Skriniar, at the end of the contract at Inter Milan.
“Tomorrow (Saturday) is a special day. Tomorrow, I say goodbye to another stage of my life, goodbye to PSG. I don’t know how many places you can call home but, without a doubt, thanks to PSG, its supporters and the city, Paris is for me one of those places, proclaims the Andalusian rock, in a very classy message on social networks. Thank you for these two great years during which I was able to participate in all the championships and give the best of myself. I will take on new challenges, I will wear other colors, but first, for the last time: Go Paris! It remains to be seen whether PSG-Clermont will also be the last match in Rouge et Bleu for another former La Liga legend, Lionel Messi, also at the end of his contract. This is the trend. Galtier seemed to have spilled the beans at a press conference before… being denied.
