Share

Ramos extends Madrid stay

Madrid - Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has ended speculation surrounding his future by signing a new five-year deal with the Spanish giants, the club confirmed on Monday.

Ramos had been courted by Manchester United during a standoff in negotiations between his representatives and Madrid president Florentino Perez over the Spanish international's salary with his previous deal set to expire in 2017.

However, the club said in a statement he will remain "tied to the club for the next five seasons."

Both Ramos and Perez will appear at a press conference to mark the renewal at 13:30 at the club's Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

According to Spanish media reports, Ramos will earn up to €10 million a season.

United and Madrid have been locked in transfer talks all summer with Real still hopeful of landing Ramos's international teammate David de Gea before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

Ramos is now Madrid's longest serving player having signed from Sevilla 10 years ago as a 19-year-old and will be club captain for the first time this season after Iker Casillas's 18-year career at the Bernabeu came to an end when he joined Porto last month.

Despite holding an unwanted record as the Madrid player to have seen most red cards in the history of the club with a staggering 19 dismissals, Ramos is a hero amongst the Real support and is most fondly remembered for scoring the goal that saved Los Blancos from losing the 2014 Champions League final to local rivals Atletico Madrid.

His stoppage time header forced the game into extra-time where the white half of Madrid went onto dominate and run out 4-1 winners to complete his own personal repertoire of honours, which also includes three La Liga titles and two Copa del Reys as well as the World Cup and two European Championships at international level with Spain.

By committing to stay at the Bernabeu, Ramos has offered a huge lift to a Real side in need of a confidence boost ahead of the kick-off to the La Liga campaign next weekend.

Ramos was among a host of high-profile first-team players also including Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez who showed their discontent at the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti in May.

The appointment of Rafael Benitez as Ancelotti's successor was met with scepticism by the vast majority of the club's fans and Perez has unusually decided against the lavish signing of a "galactico" this summer, instead settling for a deeper and younger squad.

However, without the injured Ronaldo, Benitez's men have struggled in pre-season, failing to score in four of their seven friendlies so far.

Madrid begin their league campaign away to newly promoted Sporting Gijon on August 23.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1817 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1777 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1084 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 461 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 187 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 254 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE