Sergio Ramos, despite being 35, is still irreplaceable to Real Madrid according to Diario AS.
Whenever their captain is absent the team suffers, especially when the most demanding fixtures arrive, like in the Champions League.
Los Blancos have lost eight of the last ten games in Europe’s premier club competition without the Andalusian.
Ramos has been at the Santiago Bernabeu for 15 years, during which time he’s played 126 Champions League games and lost just 35.
The last three years, however, has seen him absent at the business end, and Madrid have paid the price.
In April 2018, Ramos missed the second-leg against Juventus at the Bernabeu.
Madrid had won the first leg 3-0, but the Italians came back to draw 3-3 on aggregate until only a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo in the final minutes saved their skin.
In 2019, Ramos missed the second leg against Ajax after deliberately earning a yellow card in the first leg to get a suspension derived from an accumulation of yellows out of the way.
Madrid won the first leg 2-1 in the Netherlands only to lose 4-1 in the Spanish capital in the second.
Last season, Ramos was sent off against Manchester City in the first leg of their clash, and was thus suspended for the second leg in the Lisbon mini-tournament.
Two clear errors from Raphael Varane saw Madrid crash out of the competition unceremoniously.
Whether it’s his ability on the pitch or his personality in the dressing room, Ramos is absolutely pivotal to Madrid’s success.
Supporters will be counting the days until he renews his contract and recovers from injury to return to the field.
Featured image courtesy of Diario AS.
