June 26, (THEWILL) – The last may not have been heard about the circumstances surrounding the emotional departure of Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos as the President of the Santiago Bernabeu club, Florentino Perez, has disagreed with the story outlined by the centre back about not being given a chance to remain as he desired to.
In the version of the story Perez relayed in a recent radio interview in Spain, the President confessed to have given Ramos enough time and opportunity to sign a new contract but, when there was no response from the defender, he was forced to withdraw from the talks altogether.
It was after the talks had collapsed that Ramos made up his mind to controversially walk away from the former La Liga champions this summer after 16 years at the club. Ramos had pushed for a two-year contract that was not forthcoming because Real stuck to their one-year extension for older players.
As much as the club would have preferred to keep Ramos, Real were only prepared to offer him that one-year contract. Eventually, seeing that the club was unyielding, even for him, Ramos revealed he eventually tried to accept but was told that he had taken too long and the offer had been withdrawn permanently.
During the interview, Perez did his best not to be drawn into discussing the details of the club’s contract issues on the Ramos subject although he did admit that he did the best he could, under the circumstances, to keep Ramos until he had no choice but to forge ahead.
Perez was clear how difficult a situation it was to handle when he said: “I had a tough time at Sergio Ramos’ farewell [event]. I love Sergio Ramos like a son.
“I wasn’t with him at the [farewell] press conference because I’ve never been to a press conference with any player. I have an adoration for Sergio Ramos, and I’m not going to talk about the bickering. He is a legend at Real Madrid and that’s what we Real Madrid fans are left with.
“We offered him a contract, we gave him a deadline and he didn’t accept it. He was thinking about other things and life goes on. He will do very well for sure, and this is his home. I would be delighted if Sergio Ramos went to a club that offered him what we have not been able to offer him.”
THEWILL recalls that Ramos alluded to the contractual bottleneck he faced ahead of his exit in a press conference on Thursday last week, noting that exiting the Bernabeu was a tough pill to swallow, with the glint of tears in his eyes:
“The time has come, one of the most difficult of my life, the time as come to say goodbye to Real Madrid. It’s inevitable that I’m emotional. I would have liked to have said goodbye at our stadium, at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“Thanks to Real Madrid; I’ll always carry you in my heart. It’s been a wonderful stage, unique in my life, and opens up a future where I really want to continue to show my best level for many years and be able to add another title to my record.
“Thank you all very much. This is more than a goodbye; it’s a see you later. I’ll be back.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
