By Alex Roberts
It took a little while for him to land on Monterrey, around eight months after his contract with Sevilla expired at the end of the 2023-24 season. As one of the greatest defenders of all time, he had plenty of options.
The usual suspects approached him. Clubs in MLS and Saudi Arabia vied for his signature, but Sergio Ramos wasn’t interested. He’s never been one to go with the grain, a footballing rebel through and through.
He had hoped to re-join Real Madrid, pleading with Florentino Pérez and Carlo Ancelotti to let him fill the void left by Éder Militão after his second ACL tear in as many seasons. Unfortunately for Ramos, that door closed almost as quickly as it very slightly cracked open.
2025 rolled around and he was still without a club. Ramos had every right to be picky but with rumours of retirement starting to circulate, the centre-back needed to make a decision pretty quickly.
Finally, he ended up in Mexico with Monterrey. Managed by former Man City defender Martin Demichelis, they were sitting in down in 10th in Liga MX when Ramos joined. Now, things are starting to look up.
The Estadio BBVA was packed out for the World Cup winner’s presentation. He walked out onto the pitch like he already owned it. A big fish in a relatively small pond, Ramos insisted he wasn’t there to mess about.
“I’m not here for a vacation. I’m someone who never gets tired of winning and doesn’t live in the past. I’m not here to show off what I’ve won but to chase new trophies and opportunities,” he said to the jubilant crowd.
In typical Ramos style, he had to stir the pot a little. Atlético Madrid fans will see it as a dig, while the Bernabéu faithful honour it as a loving tribute to one of the most memorable moments in the club’s already illustrious history.
He decided to go with 93 as his shirt number, marking the minute he scored the equaliser against Atéltico in the 2014 Champions League final. Gareth Bale, Marcelo, and Cristiano Ronaldo went on to score in extra time to win ‘La Decima’, Real Madrid’s tenth Champions League title.
Ramos made his long-awaited debut in the 3-1 Liga MX win over strugglers Atletico de San Luis on February 23rd as captain, with Demichelis stating his “leadership, respect, and commanding presence make him the ideal choice.”
The Spaniard initially said it would take him a few weeks to get up to speed, he was wrong. Ramos took to Mexican football like he’d been playing there for the past decade. Quality is permenant after all.
He scored in the three consecutive games after his debut. First in the 4-2 league win over Santos Laguna, then a 12th minute opener in the 1-1 draw with Cruz Azul, and finally a 97th minute penalty in the 2-2 CONCACAF Champions Cup draw with Vancouver Whitecaps. Unfortunately, they were still eliminated from the tournament.
Now, for those of us who haven’t lived under a rock for the past 15 years, it’s known that Ramos has that dog in him. Three goals in as many games meant one thing, he was due a red card pretty soon.
That’s exactly what happened. He gave the referee no other option but to flash a straight red card having lashed out at Pumas striker Guillermo Martínez but of course he protested profusely. Thankfully for his side it was in the 93rd minute and the game was already won.
After his one game suspension, a 2-1 defeat to Tijuana, he returned for the 3-1 win over Chivas. It was the quietest game of his career in Mexico so far. He didn’t score, didn’t get sent off, simply put in a solid defensive display that helped his side win a much-needed three points.
The game after that was a little different. Three red cards and just as many goals, Ramos had to be involved in some way or another. He put his side 1-0 up in the 50th minute after one of the weirdest penalty situations we’ve ever seen.
Tigres goalkeeper, Nahuel Guzmán, supremely confident in his own abilities, turned his back to Ramos while standing on the line, taunting one of the most successful players in the sport’s history.
The fans jeered, trying to apply as much pressure as possible on Ramos, but he just stood there, he’s been here before. After all was said and done, it took around two minutes before Ramos actually took the spot-kick, which he, of course, scored.
Two added time goals from Tigres saved Guzman from looking more daft than he already did and won the Clásico Regio, one of, if not the, biggest rilvalry in Mexico for the home side.
Ramos had a little altercation with some frustrated Monterrey fans at the club’s hotel after the game. He didn’t back down from those venting their frustration at losing in such a huge game, later releasing a statement to help ease tensions and let the fans know his side will learn from this latest setback.
Monterrey have since won their last two games against two of Mexico’s biggest sides, a 1-0 win over Club America and a 2-0 victory over former Real Madrid teammate James Rodríguez and León.
It’s been a pretty mental start to life in Mexico for our Sergio, and the drama is unlikely to end anytime soon – with Monterrey doing enough to earn a place in the play-in round for the upcoming league playoffs, starting on Sunday night. The man is box-office wherever he goes, it may be his last journey as a player, so make sure to stay tuned.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from Liga MX with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
