The night in which the Bernabéu applauded Ronaldinho, he appeared in the photo in the Brazilian’s two goals. He was also in Messi’s first hat-trick against Madrid. He played the historic 2-6. The 5-0 that Mourinho took also affected him. He won the 2014 Cup final. But then he also suffered firsthand the 2018 handball. Sergio Ramos has spent 19 years of his life playing against Barcelona.
The 2004 Diada was the first time that the defender from Camas (1986) faced Barça. No player has ever been on the other side of the field as many times as the veteran Andalusian centre-back. Tonight will be Ramos’ 48th duel against Barça. So far all of them, including the first, as a starter. Ramos will be one of the obstacles that Barcelona will have to overcome to return to the path of victory after losing the lead in Mallorca.
With his return to Sevilla, a legendary rivalry is recovered because for 16 seasons he wore white and even became captain of Madrid. A morbidity and excitement that the defender did not always understand in the most sporting way since he was sent off five times, in addition to seeing 22 yellow cards. “I’m not afraid for my players,” Xavi clarified.
Almost three years after their last classic, Barcelona will meet again with Ramos, who has spent the last two seasons in Paris being a teammate of Messi and Neymar. After the break, the Montjuïc stands are sure that his presence will not go unnoticed, although so far Mendilibar has only used him in two games and always at the Pizjuán: against Las Palmas and in the Champions League against Lens.
Ramos was decisive the last time he met Barça. It was on October 24, 2020 at the Camp Nou when Martínez Munuera, with the score at 1-1 and at the request of the VAR, awarded a penalty for Lenglet slightly grabbing the Andalusian’s shirt. Ramos himself was in charge of beating Neto. The whites won 1-3 in the end in a match that was played behind closed doors, even with the pandemic containment plan.
Until now Xavi, from the bench, has faced several footballers who are still active and who were world champions with him. He has crossed paths with Albiol and Reina at Villarreal, with Silva at Real Sociedad and even with Jesús Navas at Sevilla. But Ramos will be the first, in an official match, who was with him in the eleven at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg. “The thing about Ramos and Navas has a lot of merit. They show what competitive animals they are, playing at the highest level for their age,” Xavi acknowledges. And Sergio Ramos is already 37 years old while Navas turns 38 in November.
In the ranks of Barça, Ramos will meet again with a forward whom he knows well from their European qualifiers, such as Lewandowski. They have met eight times and the Pole, two years younger, has been able to score 6 goals. On the other hand, Lamine Yamal could be the surprise card for Xavi, who has left him on the bench in the last four games. The young winger is 21 years younger than Ramos. “We have to be cautious, take care of the minutes and moments of the games in which he plays but knowing that he can help us in many situations,” says Xavi about his management of the pearl of the quarry.
