Sergio Ramos says goodbye to the national team with an emotional letter and sends a dart to DT: “Football is not always fair”

The end of an era. A time of glory and a recent past as successful as any player would dream of being. This Thursday, February 23, Sergio Ramos said goodbye to the Spain national team with an emotional letter published on their social networks. The main reason for this decision would be the certainty that Luis de la Fuente, DT of ‘La Roja’, will not have him.

“The time has come, the time to say goodbye to the National Team, our dear and exciting Red. This morning I received a call from the current Coach who told me that he does not count and that he is not going to count on me, regardless of the level that he can show or how my sports career continues ”, the statement begins.

The Sevillian managed to mark an unforgettable stage in the selection of his country. He is the player with the most international matches played with ‘La Roja’ (180), despite his early absence: to see the last time he wore the colors of Spain we would have to go back to May 2021.

The PSG defender emphasizes that his departure is not due to a strictly personal position or because his performances are not the best and slides that there are other reasons for this situation,

“Humbly, I believe that this career deserved to end due to a personal decision or because my performance was not up to what our National Team deserves, but not due to age or other reasons that, without having heard them, I have felt”, he remarked .

Ramos, currently 36 years old, assures that age is not a determining factor in the level he can provide. “Because being young or less young is not a virtue or a defect, it is just a temporary characteristic that is not necessarily related to performance or ability.”

In addition, to consolidate his point, he gave as an example stars who are highly respected and always considered in their selections, regardless of their age.

“I look with admiration and envy at Modric, Messi and Pepe; the essence, tradition, values, meritocracy and justice in football. Unfortunately it will not be like that for me, because football is not always fair and football is never just football”, lamented the center-back.

LETTER FROM SERGIO RAMOS

“The time has come, the time to say goodbye to the National Team, our dear and exciting Red. This morning I received a call from the current Coach who told me that he does not count and that he is not going to count on me, regardless of the level he can show or how I continue my sports career. With great regret, it is the end of a journey that I hoped would be longer and that it would end with a better taste in the mouth, on a par with all the successes we have achieved with our Red.

I humbly believe that this trajectory deserved to end due to a personal decision or because my performance was not up to what our National Team deserves, but not due to age or other reasons that, without having heard them, I have felt. Because being young or less young is not a virtue or a defect, it is just a temporary characteristic that is not necessarily related to performance or ability. I look with admiration and envy at Modric, Messi, Pepe… the essence, tradition, values, meritocracy and justice in football. Unfortunately it will not be like that for me, because soccer is not always fair and soccer is never just soccer.

For all this, I assume it with this sadness that I want to share with you, but also with my head held high and very grateful for all these years and for all your support. I take with me indelible memories, all the titles we have fought for and celebrated together, and the tremendous pride of being the Spanish player with the most caps. This shield, this shirt and these fans, all of you, have made me happy. I will continue to cheer on my country from home with the emotion of the privileged person who has been able to proudly represent it 180 times. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who always believed in me!”