Jun 18, 2025 12:03 PM IST Not slowing down at 39, Sergio Ramos soars and scores a objective for the ages on the Club World Cup PASADENA, Calif. — Sergio Ramos leaped within the air and soared again in time. HT Image The 39-year-old heart again slipped by means of the penalty space, outfoxed two Inter Milan gamers and artfully headed house the primary objective for Monterrey within the Club World Cup on Tuesday night time. Just as he did for thus a few years within the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s nationwide group, Ramos mixed smarts, timing and physicality to make an infinite play on a global stage. Ramos’ intelligent objective and his general defensive play on the Rose Bowl have been main elements in Monterrey’s spectacular 1-1 draw in opposition to the Champions League finalists within the golf equipment’ first match of the event. “There is always a joy to contribute to the team by scoring,” Ramos stated by means of an interpreter. “But if we will get factors, that’s even higher. We performed very properly as a group. Of course, soccer showcases the objective, however we’re right here to share this expertise.” Still, the moment was exactly what Ramos had in mind four months ago when he eschewed the comfortable life at a Saudi club or the lure of Major League Soccer to continue his professional career in Liga MX with Monterrey — a proud and relatively wealthy club, but hardly the Mexican equivalent of Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain. When he returned to the sport from a nine-month break, Ramos chose Rayados in part because they had already qualified for the Club World Cup, and he wanted to play with the world watching. FIFA has been similarly eager to showcase the world’s most famous players in this tournament, whether it’s by quickly including Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on curious grounds, or by creating a special transfer window in an unsuccessful attempt to encourage a CWC club to sign Cristiano Ronaldo. Ramos made it happen for himself — and then one of the greatest center backs in soccer history delivered in Monterrey’s first match, complete with an appropriately flashy celebration with his thrilled teammates and their ecstatic fans. While he showed his usual defensive prowess for much of the match against Inter, Ramos also has been a regular contributor on offense since signing with Monterrey, which has already made him its captain and a fan favorite. Monterrey qualified for the Club World Cup way back in 2021 by winning the CONCACAF Champions League. At that time, Ramos was at PSG, only a few months removed from the end of his 16-year career at Madrid. “He comes from football that we all know, and he has a lot of information that he can share with his teammates,” new Monterrey coach Domènec Torrent said after his debut. “This is always something that’s very helpful. His character, his personality, he’s a leader every day. The players, he expects much of them, but that’s because I have a leader on the pitch every day who knows what we expect.” Torrent said his job is much easier because he can rely on Ramos at the back and his former Real Madrid teammate, Sergio Canales, in the offensive attack to keep their teammates organized and working hard. Canales hit the post with an impressive 30-yard strike in the second half. Not everything was perfect in Pasadena: Ramos shared some responsibility for Lautaro Martínez’s tying goal late in the first half, although it came after an exceptional bit of ball movement that would have been difficult for any team in the world to stop. Ramos then pushed through fatigue in the second half to keep the match tied, delivering a key result to Monterrey’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage. He was named the man of the match. “We had a very good second half especially,” Ramos said. “We confronted a really powerful opponent, in order that’s very gratifying. The end result speaks volumes.” soccer: /soccer This article was generated from an automatic information company feed with out modifications to textual content. Stay up to date with the most recent sports activities information, together with newest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, the place Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all of the motion from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, observe your favorite soccer groups and gamers with the most recent match outcomes, and get the most recent on worldwide hockey tournaments and sequence. Stay up to date with the most recent sports activities information, together with newest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, the place Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all of the motion from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, observe your favorite soccer groups and gamers with the most recent match outcomes, and get the most recent on worldwide hockey tournaments and sequence. See Less
