Sergio Ramos took a philosophical view of Spain’s Euro 2016 exit against Italy. ‘Some will be glad we weren’t at our best, but you can’t always be.’
La Roja’s reign as champions of Europe ended after eight years in defeat to the Azzurri but the Real Madrid captain told reporters it was important to consider the cycle as a whole, not just the tournament in France.
“We lost, but we tried and we have to be calm. We know what we’ve done. We’ve had a wonderful era in recent years, losing seemed far away, but there are great national teams and you have to appreciate what was in front of us. I hope we return to a great time, and you have to trust the players who are coming through,” Ramos said, AS reports.
Vicente del Bosque is to retire this summer at the end of this contract and Ramos, who captained Spain throughout the competition, considered the departure of the World Cup-winning Coach and a possible shift in generations.
“All the players have always shown respect for the Coach. I don’t know what he wants, he is the one who has to make a decision together with the President [of the Spanish Football Federation],” Ramos noted.
“I don’t know whether [the generation] will change or not. It’s easy to talk on the couch with a bag of chips. I’ve seen players perform very well even as they get older. I have the hope intact. Of course we can qualify for the World Cup. Some rejoice that we haven’t been at our best level, but you can’t always be at your best.”
