Sergio Ramos admits he is sad to see Mesut Ozil leave Real Madrid, as ahead of facing Finland, he reflects on Spain’s lessons learned.
The Madrid vice-captain was known to be a close friend of Ozil, who yesterday completed a €45m transfer to Arsenal.
“Clearly he is a teammate and a friend. I have always had a good relationship with him and I am sad,” reflected Ramos to reporters today.
“He is a great footballer, unique. I do not mind [his sale], but I am sad. These are personal things, he decides his future. Everyone chooses for the best and is free to do what they want.
“He is different, if I was deciding for Madrid then he would be the last to go. But he has decided and so have the club. We have a great team and hopefully this will be a great year.
“Bale? As captain I welcome him, we are glad that we have made this important signing. He can contribute a lot.”
Ramos was also asked for comment on Iker Casillas and Diego Lopez.
“We have already spoken a lot about this, it is not a question of creating debate. Iker I know very well, these are moments that are not easy. He is used to being a starter, after many years. I support Iker, but also Diego Lopez, who is a great goalkeeper.
“These are decisions that we should not take. The important thing is Real Madrid, which is above everything else.”
Ramos is on international duty with Spain this week as they prepare to travel out to Helsinki for a World Cup qualifier with Finland. In the reverse Group I fixture in March, the result was a surprise 1-1.
“They are a team that did not surprise us, they defended from the first minute in the reverse fixture and we created many chances, but on a counter-attack they equalised.
“These things serve to teach you, you have to stay focused throughout the 90 minutes. It is good to learn from these mistakes.
“When you go so many years winning the respect of other teams, we cannot do anything. Everyone chooses their game system and philosophy. We are not machines, we will not be winning for a lifetime.
“From the defeats you learn, some teams are very complicated. Many years ago we went through some tough times and we succeeded. Global competition is good for the sport and for us too.”
