When I Accepted Real Madrid’s Renewal Offer, It No Longer Existed – Sergio Ramos

Sergio Ramos has made clear that he reached a point where he decided to accept Real Madrid’s offer of a contract renewal, only to then find out that it was no longer on the table.

Ramos explained the way in which the negotiations with Real Madrid happened, emphasising that he did not want to leave the club.

“Many things have happened, circumstances that occur in life. The first thing I’d like to say is that I’ve never wanted to leave Real Madrid, I’ve always wanted to stay,” Ramos explained during his farewell press conference on Thursday.

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“To give details and to be brief, I go back to the lockdown LaLiga title, which we won and celebrated. After that, the club offered me the opportunity to extend my contract, but because of COVID it was put on the back burner.

“In the last few months, the club made me a one-year offer with a salary reduction. Money was never a problem; the president knew that I’d made clear that it wasn’t an economic issue. It was a problem in terms of years; they offered me one year and I wanted two, it was stability for my family.

“In the last conversations I said that I accepted and they told me that there was no longer an offer. I was told that even though I had agreed to the last offer that was on the table, I was told that it had an expiry date and I hadn’t heard about it.”

So, was it Real Madrid president Florentino Perez that told Ramos that the offer had expired or did he find out through someone else?

“These are private meetings, out of respect for the club and the president,” Ramos said.

“There are things that are personal, but I am also informed through my agent [his brother, Rene Ramos] and we are surprised that the offer expired without us knowing. Nobody had given me an ultimatum.

“We were in negotiations and when I was informed I made it known that I accepted the last offer, but I don’t hold grudges.”

When asked if he had any regrets about some of his lower moments at Real Madrid, such as the way in which his exit has played out, Ramos refused to point any blame at Florentino Perez.

“When you buy the Sergio Ramos brand, it’s Ramos with his virtues and his faults and I like to be me,” he noted.

“My relationship with the president has been extraordinary, it’s like father and son, I’ll always be eternally grateful.

“He brought me to Real Madrid and I’m not going to make any statement against him, because in families there are also fights and everyone has to look after their own interests, but today I’ll remember that hug we gave each other at the event.

“The misunderstandings are in the past. I don’t want confrontations, but I’m going to tell the truth.”

Some have questioned whether Ramos would have left Sevilla in the same manner that he did, but he has no regrets about joining Real Madrid.

“Leaving Sevilla as I did I would have given a press conference, but I would sign for Real Madrid a thousand times over, it’s one of the best decisions of my life,” Ramos stated.

There will no doubt be a lengthy list of clubs keen to sign Ramos, but he has emphasised that he would never join Barcelona.

“We haven’t thought about any team. Since January, when I came onto the market, there have been some calls [to] my agent, clubs interested, but I never thought about leaving Real Madrid,” he commented.

“Sevilla are the other club of my heart and I had a wonderful time, but as of today I am not considering that option, just as Sevilla are not considering it.

“As for Barcelona, it is a resounding no. You can be very calm [about that].

“I don’t know if I will be returning to Spain or which team I will go to.”