Spanish soccer icon Sergio Ramos signs with Monterrey 

Spain’s Sergio Ramos, a FIFA World Cup and two-time European Championship winner, has been unveiled by Mexico’s Monterrey Rayados successful 1 of the astir astonishing transfers successful caller shot history.

Ramos, who has won astir each large prize successful planetary football, spent 16 years astatine Real Madrid earlier a two-year spell alongside Argentina’s Lionel Messi astatine Paris Saint-Germain. Now aged 38, the center-back volition ply his commercialized successful Mexico for the 2025 season. 

Ramos is Spain’s most-capped planetary player. (Sergio Ramos/Instagram)

Monterrey is 1 of Mexico’s largest clubs, boasting 5 Mexican First Division championships arsenic good arsenic 3 Copa México titles. The nine plays astatine the 53,500-seat Estadio BBVA successful the authorities of Nuevo León, and lone narrowly mislaid the 2024 Clausura title to Mexico City’s Club America past year.

The Spanish defender should consciousness close astatine location successful Mexico, arsenic the Monterrey squad features not one, but 3 erstwhile teammates. Sergio Canales played alongside Ramos astatine Real Madrid, portion Oliver Torres and Argentina’s Lucas Ocampos some played astatine Ramos’s boyhood shot club, Sevilla.

“I convey them for the welcome,” Ramos explained to the Spanish paper El País, earlier revealing that helium had turned down important offers from Europe, the United States and Saudi Arabia’s highly lucrative Pro League. “Rayados gives me…balance, with a batch of ambition to turn and with the enactment of playing nationalist and planetary competitions, specified arsenic the Club World Cup.”

Prior to his signing with Monterrey, Ramos had been retired of declaration with Sevilla, playing his past crippled connected May 26, 2024. In Mexico, helium volition deterioration the fig 93, a notation to his 93rd-minute winning extremity against Atlético Madrid successful the 2014 UEFA Champions League final.

Ramos changeable to planetary superstardom arsenic portion of the 2008-2012 Spanish nationalist team, considered by galore to beryllium the top planetary broadside of each time, winning 3 back-to-back championships successful Europe and astatine the 2010 FIFA World Cup successful South Africa. He is Spain’s astir capped player, representing the state internationally for 16 years passim 180 appearances.

While immoderate critics person suggested that Ramos’s determination to Monterrey is simply a mode of collecting a last paycheck earlier retirement, the Spaniard has disagreed. “It is the astir epic infinitesimal of my vocation and I privation to stock that greatness of Real Madrid with Rayados,” Ramos told assembled members of the press.

“Physically, I americium fine. I anticipation that successful 2 oregon 3 weeks, I tin accommodate to the radical dynamics [of Monterrey] to play arsenic soon arsenic possible,” helium added.

With reports from El Pais and AS