Paris Saint Germain defender Sergio Ramos has announced retirement from international football. The Spanish centre-back took to social media to convey this decision and posted a lengthy note talking about the reason behind this call. In this note, Ramos stated that new Spain coach Luis de la Fuente called him and told him that he isn’t part of La Roja’s future plans. 

Ramos made his Spain debut back as a teenager in 2005. He then went on to make 180 appearances for his country and was part of the World Cup-winning squad in 2010. He also won the European Championships in 2008 and 2012 as an integral part of Spain’s golden generation. 

But after these triumphs, he was left out of the national squads for both Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup. In the recently concluded World Cup in Qatar, La Roja suffered an upset loss against Morocco which was followed by the departure of manager Luis Enrique. 

In his retirement note, Ramos wasn’t happy with this step but stated that it was necessary. He further talked about hanging up his boots on his own terms. Ramos also spoke about the reason behind him not being part of the national set-up is based on his own performances and not because of his age.

The note said, “The time has come. Time for me to say goodbye to the Spain national team. To La Roja. This morning, I received a call from the current Head Coach who informed me that I am not and will not be part of his plans, regardless of how I perform or what I do in my career.”

“With a heavy heart, it’s the end of a road that I hoped would stretch out further and which would end with a better taste in my mouth, on a par with all the success we achieved with La Roja. I honestly believe that this journey deserved to end at my own choosing or because my performances were not at a level worthy of our national team. Not due to a question of age or other reasons that, although I have not heard them directly, I have certainly felt. Because age in itself is not a virtue or a defect; it’s just a number that is not necessarily related to performance or ability.”

Paris Saint Germain defender Sergio Ramos has announced retirement from international football. The Spanish centre-back took to social media to convey this decision and posted a lengthy note talking about the reason behind this call. In this note, Ramos stated that new Spain coach Luis de la Fuente called him and told him that he isn’t part of La Roja’s future plans. 

Ramos made his Spain debut back as a teenager in 2005. He then went on to make 180 appearances for his country and was part of the World Cup-winning squad in 2010. He also won the European Championships in 2008 and 2012 as an integral part of Spain’s golden generation. 

But after these triumphs, he was left out of the national squads for both Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup. In the recently concluded World Cup in Qatar, La Roja suffered an upset loss against Morocco which was followed by the departure of manager Luis Enrique. 

In his retirement note, Ramos wasn’t happy with this step but stated that it was necessary. He further talked about hanging up his boots on his own terms. Ramos also spoke about the reason behind him not being part of the national set-up is based on his own performances and not because of his age.

The note said, “The time has come. Time for me to say goodbye to the Spain national team. To La Roja. This morning, I received a call from the current Head Coach who informed me that I am not and will not be part of his plans, regardless of how I perform or what I do in my career.”

“With a heavy heart, it’s the end of a road that I hoped would stretch out further and which would end with a better taste in my mouth, on a par with all the success we achieved with La Roja. I honestly believe that this journey deserved to end at my own choosing or because my performances were not at a level worthy of our national team. Not due to a question of age or other reasons that, although I have not heard them directly, I have certainly felt. Because age in itself is not a virtue or a defect; it’s just a number that is not necessarily related to performance or ability.”