Spain's Sergio Ramos announces international retirement: Decoding his achievements
What's the story
Spanish defender Sergio Ramos called time on his international career on Thursday. Ramos was a part of the winning squads at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Euros in 2008 and 2012. The 36-year-old remains the most-capped player for the nation since making his debut in 2005. Ramos, however, was left out of the 2022 FIFA WC squad. We look at his international achievements.
Twitter Post
Ramos calls time on his international career
Seguiré animando a mi país desde casa con la emoción del privilegiado que ha podido representarlo orgulloso 180 veces. ¡Gracias de corazón a todos los que siempre creísteis en mí! ❤️💛❤️ pic.twitter.com/KzVldPhiqo
— Sergio Ramos (@SergioRamos) February 23, 2023
Context
Why does this story matter?
Ramos decided to retire from international football after a telephone call with Spain's current boss, Luis de la Fuente, who informed that he won't consider the PSG defender. De La Fuente replaced Luis Enrique as Spain's new manager after the 2010 winners were knocked out in R16 of the Qatar World Cup. Besides, Ramos hadn't played for Spain in over two years.
Stats
A look at his numbers in international football
Ramos marked his international debut aged 18 in 2005. In 2013, he became Spain's youngest player to ever reach 100 caps. He currently holds the record as the most capped player in the history of Spain's football team (180) and is his country's ninth-highest all-time goal-scorer (23). He also holds the record for most international victories for Spain (131 wins).
Achievements
A look at his international achievements
Ramos represented Spain at four World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018) and three European Championships (2008, 2012, and 2016). He won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and back-to-back UEFA European Championships in 2008 and 2012. He was named to the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2010, and the UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament in 2012.
World Cup
Ramos was left out of the 2022 FIFA WC squad
Ramos was excluded from the Spanish squad for UEFA Euro 2020 after an injury-marred season. It was the first time he missed a major tournament since Euro 2004, thereby ending a run of featuring in 10 successive tournaments. He wasn't picked for the 2022 World Cup. His last international appearance was during Spain's 3-1 win over Kosovo in a WC qualifier two years ago.
Information
How has Ramos fared in the 2022-23 season?
Ramos, a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, has kept eight clean sheets in 21 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG. He recorded one goal and a clean sheet in both Trophee des Champions and Coupe de France.