Sergio Ramos

Club career

Sevilla

Born in Camas, province of Seville, Andalusia, Ramos started playing at Camas CF by age six, then he began his career at local side Sevilla, emerging through the club's youth system alongside Jesús Navas and Antonio Puerta. He made his first-team and La Liga debut on 1 February 2004, coming on as a 64th-minute substitute for Paco Gallardo in a 0–1 away loss against Deportivo La Coruña.

In the 2004–05 season, Ramos appeared in 41 games as Sevilla finished sixth and qualified to the 2005–06 UEFA Cup, scoring in home fixtures against Real Sociedad (2–1) and Real Madrid (2–2). In the 2004–05 UEFA Cup, he scored his first continental goal, heading to conclude a 2–0 win over Nacional at the Ramon Sánchez Pizjuán in the first round (4–1 aggregate).

Real Madrid

In the summer of 2005, Ramos was purchased by Real Madrid for €27 million, a record for a Spanish defender. He was the only Spanish player brought in during Florentino Pérez's first stint as Real Madrid’s president.

At the club, Ramos was assigned the number 4 shirt, previously worn by Fernando Hierro. On 6 December 2005 he netted his first goal for the Meringues, in a 2–1 UEFA Champions League group stage loss at Olympiacos.

During his first seasons, Ramos played as centre back, being also used as an emergency defensive midfielder on occasion. However, with the arrival of Christoph Metzelder and Pepe in the 2007–08 season, he was again relocated to right back. In his first four seasons at Real Madrid, Ramos displayed a goalscoring instinct unusual to many defenders, netting more than 20 goals overall. He also received the first nine of his 24 red cards for the club, including four in his debut season. His first red card came after two bookable offences in a 1–0 away loss to Espanyol on 18 September 2005.

During the 2006–07 season, Ramos scored five goals, including one in a 3–3 El Clásico draw with Barcelona, as Real Madrid won a record 30th league title.

On 4 May 2008, he assisted Gonzalo Higuaín in the 89th minute against Osasuna in an eventual 2–1 away win, the match that sealed the club's 31st league championship. On the final day of the season, he scored twice in a 5–2 home win against already relegated Levante: one through a header, and another an individual effort; these goals taking his league tally for the 2007–08 season to five.

On 24 August 2008, Ramos scored in the 2008 Supercopa de España second leg against Valencia, making the score 2–1 in an eventual 4–2 and 6–5 aggregate win. The victory came despite Real Madrid playing with only nine men for a long period of time after Rafael van der Vaart and Ruud van Nistelrooy were sent off. Although Ramos experienced a slight dip in form during the early part of the 2008–09 season, he returned to his best and on 11 January 2009, scoring an acrobatic volley in a 3–0 triumph at Mallorca. He continued his scoring run the following week in a 3–1 home win against Osasuna.

Paris Saint-Germain

On 8 July 2021, it was announced that Ramos had signed a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain. He chose to wear the number 4 jersey, with Thilo Kehrer switching to the number 24 shirt. Ramos remarked: "I am quite superstitious about it and I love the number 4 because I have worn that number since the start of my career and it has followed me throughout my career and my life, bringing with me much luck and many victories". During the medical examination required to complete the signing, the medical staff at PSG were reported to be impressed by his seriousness and physique, whilst the medical results were noted to be excellent and incredible. The staff compared Ramos's physique to that of a 25-year-old (he was 35 at the time).

Due to a series of injury problems, Ramos made his first appearance in a match day squad for Paris Saint-Germain ahead of a Champions League group stage game against Manchester City on 24 November 2021. He made his debut four days later in a 3–1 league victory over Saint-Étienne. On 23 January 2022, Sergio scored his debut goal for the club, helping PSG to beat Reims 4–0 in a home league match. Ramos won the 2021–22 Ligue 1 in his first season at the club.

PSG started the 2022–23 season by winning the 2022 Trophée des Champions in Tel Aviv, in which Ramos scored a goal in a 4–0 win over Nantes. On 6 September 2022, he made his Champions League debut with Paris Saint-Germain in a 2–1 win over Juventus. On 8 February 2023, in a 1-2 defeat against Marseille in the Coupe de France, he score a header to become at 36 years and 315 days PSG’s oldest goalscorer ever.

On 8 April 2023, he scored against Nice at 37 years and 9 days to become Paris Saint-Germain’s oldest Ligue 1 goalscorer.

On 2 June 2023, Ramos announced that he would be leaving PSG at the end of the season, following the expiration of his contract on 30 June. One day later, he opened the score in a 2–3 defeat against Clermont in his last appearance for the club as Paris Saint-Germain won their record 11th Ligue 1 title.

Return to Sevilla

On 4 September 2023, Ramos returned to his boyhood club Sevilla after 18 years, signing a contract until the end of the season. On 17 September, he made his second debut for Sevilla in a 1–0 win over Las Palmas at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium. Three days later, he made his Champions League debut with Sevilla in a 1–1 draw against Lens. On 21 October, Ramos played against his former club Real Madrid for the first time since he left in 2021, in a La Liga match that ended in a 1–1 draw at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, helping secure a point from the match.

On 26 November, he was involved in a notable and bizarre incident during a match against Real Sociedad, in which he received two red cards. He was initially shown a red card after receiving a second yellow card for a late challenge on Brais Méndez. Following this, he appealed for a VAR review, prompting the referee to examine the slow-motion footage. After reviewing the footage, the referee rescinded the second yellow card, and immediately issued Ramos a straight red card.

On 29 November, he scored his first goal for Sevilla following his return in a 3–2 home defeat against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, equaling the record of most goals scored by defenders set by Roberto Carlos and Gerard Piqué, which also marked the 10,000th goal in the competition. On 12 December, he broke the record, by scoring his 17th goal with a Panenka-style penalty in a 2–1 away defeat against Lens.

On 25 February 2024, Ramos returned to the Santiago Bernabéu to play against Real Madrid, following his departure from the club in 2021, as his team suffered a 1–0 defeat. Later that year, on 17 June, Sevilla announced that Ramos would not stay at the club for the following season.

Monterrey

On 6 February 2025, Ramos was announced as a new player for Liga MX side Monterrey, after various days of speculation. Ramos chose to wear number 93 instead of his traditional number 4 to honor his 93rd-minute equaliser in the 2014 UEFA Champions League final for Real Madrid. Ramos was handed the captain's armband on his debut for the club against Atlético San Luis. On 3 March, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–2 victory over Santos Laguna.

On 17 March 2025, he was sent off for the 30th time in his career (first with Monterrey) after receiving a straight red card for kicking UNAM's striker Guillermo Martínez from behind after failing to steal the ball. Later that year, on 18 June, he scored the opening goal in a 1–1 draw against Inter Milan during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, being also named Man of the Match. In doing so at the age of 39 years and 80 days old, he became the oldest player in history to score in the Club World Cup, breaking the previous record set by Javier Zanetti in the 2010 edition at the age of 37. In December of that year, he announced his departure from the club following the conclusion of his contract, becoming a free agent.

International career

2002–2006: Youth level and early international career

In 2004, Ramos became an instant hit for Spain's under-19, for whom he played six international matches. During the 2004 U19 Euro, Ramos was a key figure for Spain as he started in four out of five of their matches on the way to winning their second U19 European Championship, including scoring a decisive penalty in the Semi-final penalty-shoot out against Ukraine. On 26 March 2005, in a 3–0 friendly win over China in Salamanca, he first appeared for the senior side at only 18 years and 361 days of age, making him the youngest player to play for the national team in the last 55 years. He held this record until 1 March 2006, when it was broken by Cesc Fàbregas in a friendly match against Ivory Coast.

On 12 October 2005, Ramos scored his first two international goals in a 6–0 away thrashing of San Marino for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He was selected for the final stages in Germany and, after the international retirement of Real Madrid teammate Míchel Salgado, became the undisputed first-choice right-back. Despite wearing the number 4 jersey for Real Madrid, Ramos admitted he wears the number 15 for Spain in memory of his close friend and former Sevilla teammate Puerta, who died in August 2007 and made his Spain debut wearing No. 15.

2008–2012: Spain's Golden Generation

Throughout Spain's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, Ramos was a regular member of the starting eleven as the national side finished first in its group, above Sweden. He scored two goals, including one in a 3–1 away win over Denmark, in 11 appearances. In the tournament's final stages, Ramos played in all matches and minutes, except the 2–1 group stage win against Greece. In the final, his pass nearly set up Marcos Senna's first international goal, but the latter missed his opportunity by inches. During the celebrations after the 1–0 defeat of Germany, he wore a T-shirt in honour of his late friend Puerta.

Ramos was selected in the squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, as Spain finished in third. On 3 June 2010, he captained Spain for the first time, in a 1–0 friendly win over South Korea in Innsbruck, Austria.

At the 2010 World Cup, held in the same country, Ramos played every minute of the tournament as a right back, helping Spain keep five clean sheets and reach the final, which they won 1–0 against the Netherlands; he topped the tournament's Castrol Performance Index with a score of 9.79. Despite playing at right-back, he also completed more solo runs than any other player in the tournament, 31.

Ramos returned to the heart of the defence for Euro 2012. When asked about his role change, he replied: "I have adapted and feel comfortable in the middle, but I am a World and European champion at right-back". He played all the games in Poland and Ukraine alongside Barcelona's Gerard Piqué and, in the semi-finals against Portugal, he converted his penalty shootout attempt in an eventual 4–2 win (0–0 after 120 minutes), scoring for the eventual champions in Panenka-style. On 1 July, Ramos won his third trophy with the Spanish senior National Team as they thrashed Italy 4–0 in the final. Ramos's performances during the Euro earned him a place in the Team of The Tournament. Ramos wore another T-shirt during Spain's Euro 2012 celebrations to pay homage to his late friend Puerta.

2013–2019: Assuming the captaincy

On 22 March 2013, Ramos celebrated his 100th cap by opening the scoring in a 1–1 draw with Finland in Gijón for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. He became the youngest European player ever to reach that figure in the process, surpassing Germany's Lukas Podolski. In June, Ramos contested in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, starting every match as Spain lost to the hosts in the final. He captained the side for their second group game, a 10–0 win over Tahiti at the Maracanã, which is the biggest win of his career. On 30 June, he missed a penalty kick in the 3–0 Confederations Cup Final loss to Brazil.

Ramos was selected for his third World Cup in 2014. He played the full 90 minutes of each of the team's matches in Brazil, each with a different partner in central defence, as the reigning champions were eliminated from the group stage.

In February 2016, Ramos won the Luis Aragonés Award by Marca, which distinguished him as the best player of the national team in the past year. With David de Gea selected ahead of Iker Casillas in Spain's starting line-up, Ramos captained the team at UEFA Euro 2016. On 21 June 2016, he had a penalty kick saved by Danijel Subašić in a 2–1 loss to Croatia. Spain finished their Euro group as runners-up and crashed out in the Round of 16 against Italy.

On 23 March 2018, days before turning 32, Ramos earned his 150th cap for Spain in a 1–1 friendly draw with Germany in Düsseldorf. Only Iker Casillas had previously reached the mark for the team.

Ramos was included in the Spain squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and would go into his fourth tournament, and first World Cup as Captain after Iker Casillas missed out. He played in all three of Spain's Group stage matches as they topped the 'Group of Death' ahead of European Champions Portugal. In the Round of 16 against Russia, Ramos believed he scored the opening goal but it was later credited as an Sergei Ignashevich own goal. The match ended 1–1 after extra time and was decided on penalties (4–3) as the hosts eliminated La Roja. Ramos scored Spain's fourth penalty but it wasn't enough as teammates Koke and Aspas both had their penalties saved.

With new coach Luis Enrique, Ramos retained captaincy of the national team. He played in all four of Spain's 2018–19 UEFA Nations League group matches, becoming the nation's top scorer in the group with three goals – scoring once against England and twice against Croatia. Spain finished second in their UEFA Nations League Group, which saw them miss out on the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals. In March 2019, Ramos scored the winner in Spain's first UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match against Norway through another Panenka penalty in a 2–1 win. This was his tenth penalty of the season, scoring them all. It was also his fifth consecutive match scoring for Spain, which is a personal record. Spain manager Enrique hailed Ramos as a "unique player in history" after the match.

2019–2021: Record caps for Spain

In the second Euro 2020 qualification match, away to Malta, Ramos did not score for the first time in six matches for Spain – failing to extend his scoring streak. However, the match ended 2–0 to Spain which was his 121st win with La Roja, equaling the all-time record of Iker Casillas. On 7 June 2019, Ramos broke the record of most international victories with 122, following a 4–1 victory against the Faroe Islands, scoring Spain's opening goal in the process. Three days later, ahead of the match against Sweden, Ramos received a plaque from the Spanish Football Federation to commemorate his record. The match ended with a 3–0 win for Spain, where he scored the first goal and extended his tally to 123 international victories. On 5 September 2019, Ramos scored from a penalty kick his 21st international goal to open the score in Spain's 2–1 away win over Romania in a Euro 2020 qualifier, which made him the joint 10th top scorer in the history of the national team, alongside Míchel. On 8 September, Ramos won his 167th cap for Spain in a 4–0 home win over the Faroe Islands in a Euro 2020 qualifier; with this appearance, he equaled Iker Casillas as Spain's most capped player of all time. On 12 October 2019, he became the nation's sole most capped player.

On 6 September 2020, Ramos scored a brace in a 4–0 win over Ukraine for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, reaching 23 international goals and equaling Alfredo Di Stéfano as Spain's eighth-highest all-time goalscorer. On 14 November 2020, in a 1–1 draw against Switzerland, he made his 177th appearance for Spain and overtook Gianluigi Buffon's record for the most international caps received by a European player.

Ramos made his last international appearance on 31 March 2021 as an 86th-minute substitute in a 3–1 home 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying victory against Kosovo.

2021–2023: Squad exclusions and retirement

Ramos was excluded from the squad for UEFA Euro 2020, following an injury-plagued season. His omission marked the first major tournament since Euro 2004 where he was not called for the national team, ending a run of featuring in ten consecutive tournaments. In November 2022, he was excluded from the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Ramos announced his retirement from international football on 23 February 2023 at the age of 36, having not appeared for his country in nearly two years, after new coach Luis de la Fuente told him he would no longer be selected.

Player profile

Style of play

Widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, Ramos is a physically strong player with an ability to score from set pieces; he is known for his strong tackles, positioning, and aerial abilities, which allow him to excel in one-on-one situations. In addition to his defensive prowess, he is gifted with pace, good technical ability, and good crossing ability. According to Spanish sports newspaper Marca and FIFA's official records, in 2015, Ramos was clocked at a sprinting speed of 30.6 kilometers per hour, making him one of the fastest footballers at that time. He is also an accurate penalty taker and often uses the Panenka technique to take them. He can also take free kicks due to his ability to bend the ball.

Ramos is praised for his leadership, athleticism, and his offensive and defense prowess, which allows him to be deployed as a centre-back and as a full-back; in his youth, he often played as a right-back, while he later established himself as a centre-back as his career progressed. His former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has compared him to legendary defender Paolo Maldini; both he and Giorgio Chiellini called Ramos the best defender in the world. In 2021, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski named Chiellini and Ramos as the toughest defenders he has ever faced. Ramos has also played as a defensive midfielder, in particular under Ancelotti during the 2014–15 season. Ramos has been praised for his amazing performances in big games, most notably for Real Madrid, due to his ability to score crucial goals. However, his consistency has been questioned by the media, and he’s prone to occasional defensive errors.

Ramos is often criticised in the media for committing overly aggressive, reckless tackles and for picking up an excessive amount of cards; he has also been accused of diving.

Disciplinary record

Ramos holds multiple disciplinary records, for Real Madrid, the Champions League, La Liga, El Clásico and the Spain national team.

Ramos holds the record for the most carded player in La Liga, with 191 cards. His 171 yellow cards surpass that of Alberto Lopo, the former record holder for La Liga yellow cards. The remaining 20 are red cards, making Ramos the most red-carded player in La Liga as well. His La Liga cards are higher than that of any other player in the top five European leagues.

In the Champions League, Ramos has amassed 40 yellow cards and four red cards (three of which were straight red cards), making him both the most carded player and joint most red carded player in Champions League history.

Finally, Ramos also holds the record for being the most carded player in the history of the Spain national team, with 24 yellow cards.

Personal life

Ramos began a relationship with journalist/presenter Pilar Rubio in September 2012 and they were seen together at that year's Ballon d'Or ceremony. They have four sons together: Sergio, Marco, Alejandro, and Máximo Adriano. On 16 July 2018, Ramos and Rubio got engaged. On 15 June 2019, they got married in Seville.

Ramos has a close relationship with his family, especially his siblings and parents. Rene, his brother, is currently his football agent, and is married to singer Lorena Gómez. Ramos is a fan of bullfighting and he is friends with bullfighter Alejandro Talavante. Ramos also owns a stud farm in his native town of Andalusia that is dedicated to breeding the Andalusian horse. His horse, 'Yucatán SR4' became a World Champion in 2018. In addition, he and his wife Rubio are art collectors.

In June 2014, Ramos was appointed as an ambassador for UNICEF Spain.

Ramos is the second cousin of former footballer José Mari. Ramos is Catholic, and was baptised at the Parish Church of Nuestra Senora de La Moraleja in Madrid.

Body art

Ramos has lots of tattoos, including Jesus, Mary, the Star of David, a lion, a wolf, a dreamcatcher, the map of Spain, a Native American chief, the hamsa, the FIFA World Cup and Champions League trophies and his family members.

Amazon Prime documentary

In January 2019, Amazon Prime and Ramos himself announced they would release an eight-episode documentary series on Ramos's life in football and outside of football. It was named El Corazón de Sergio Ramos (The Heart of Sergio Ramos). On 5 March, during Real Madrid's Champions League Round of 16 second leg match, Ramos was suspended and watched the match from his VIP area in the stands. His reactions were filmed by the Amazon Prime crew. This sparked controversy as Real Madrid lost the match and were eliminated from the Champions League, though Ramos said on social media that there were "certain commitments made and it never remotely went through my head that the game could have turned out as it did".

Due to the success of his first documentary series, Ramos announced in June 2020 on social media that Amazon would release another documentary known as La Leyenda Sergio Ramos (The Legend of Sergio Ramos), which consists of six episodes and shows his career highlights. It was released in Spain in April 2021 and was released worldwide in June 2021.

Attempted acquisition of Sevilla

In 2026, Sergio Ramos, alongside the investment group Five Eleven Capital, attempted to acquire a controlling stake in Sevilla. Negotiations reportedly centered on a deal worth around €450 million, but collapsed after Ramos' consortium submitted a revised offer that reduced the purchase price and altered the ownership structure from an immediate majority acquisition to a smaller initial stake with a proposed future capital increase. Sevilla's shareholders rejected the revised terms and ended the negotiations.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 6 December 2025

International

Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ramos goal.

Honours

Real Madrid

La Liga: 2006–07, 2007–08, 2011–12, 2016–17, 2019–20

Copa del Rey: 2010–11, 2013–14

Supercopa de España: 2008, 2012, 2017, 2020

UEFA Champions League: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18

UEFA Super Cup: 2014, 2016, 2017

FIFA Club World Cup: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018

Paris Saint-Germain

Ligue 1: 2021–22, 2022–23

Trophée des Champions: 2022

Spain U19

UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2004

Spain

FIFA World Cup: 2010

UEFA European Championship: 2008, 2012

FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2013; third place: 2009

Individual

La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2005

FIFA FIFPRO World 11: 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

UEFA Team of the Year: 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020

FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2010