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FIFA: Interview of the week: Sergio Ramos on the fast track to greatness

/noticias.info/ The rise of Sergio Ramos has been nothing short of spectacular. Within a year and a half of making his Primera División debut with Sevilla, Ramos was putting on the Real Madrid shirt for the first time and stepping out onto the hallowed turf of the Santiago Bernabéu. Everything has happened very quickly in the life of this young man, but he is more than capable of taking such changes smoothly in his stride.

Those who know him well say that Ramos is much more mature than his 19 years would suggest, and each carefully-weighed response to the questions put to him by FIFA.com proves that to be true. Andalucian to the core, even down to a love of Flamenco and bullfighting, the young defender has fond memories of his upbringing in Spain's laid-back south. That environment was a different world to the hectic Spanish capital, but Ramos has adapted remarkably well to life in a Real Madrid side packed with international superstars.

"It's been a very big step in my professional life. At first I thought everything was going to be much more difficult, but I've coped pretty well in the five months that I've been here. After a couple of weeks I overcame the self-consciousness you get when you move somewhere new. My teammates welcomed me with open arms and I fitted into the team very quickly, which is something that you notice out on the pitch when the pressure's on. I'm also lucky enough to have the support of my entire family," Ramos explains.

With a total of just 49 first-team appearances under his belt (38 La Liga, 5 Copa del Rey and 6 UEFA Cup), Real Madrid saw enough to pay Sevilla the staggering sum of 27 million Euros for his services. "I don't feel any pressure because of the size of the fee. The pressure's on those who have to pay it!" he says with a chuckle. "I take it as a big responsibility, and the only thing I can do is to do my talking out on the pitch and return the faith shown in me by playing well. I need to play my best football and get good results to prove that I was worth the money."

In the five short months since he first set foot in the Madrid dressing room, Ramos has earned the admiration of the cultured Bernabéu crowd. The key to his success seems simple: "Since I was small I've known that hard work and consistency will help you achieve any goal. As yet, I can't complain about my performances here in Madrid. Both of the coaches I've had so far (Vanderlei Luxemburgo and Juan Ramón López Caro) have given me plenty of playing time."

Changing track
Since the departure of Brazilian coach Luxemburgo, taking with him the fabled, "Magic Square" system, the Madrid outfit have looked a much stronger side. Having gone back to employing wide midfielders, even defensive players like Sergio Ramos have noticed the difference: "We've got a lot more width out on the pitch and we're keeping possession better, which is a key factor during games. The team's getting better results now, and we can only hope that things continue to go well and we can keep improving."

A win over Real Betis in the quarter-finals has seen Los Merengues edge closer to a much-needed piece of silverware in the form of the Copa del Rey. However, the league title may well be beyond their grasp with runaway leaders FC Barcelona 13 points clear of their eternal rivals. "We struggled in the first half of the season and dropped a lot of points, which other teams have taken advantage of, notably Barça. But we're not going to throw in the towel. Step by step, one game at a time, we'll try to take advantage of any slip-ups by the teams above us," he declares.

With his club battling for honours on three fronts, Ramos confesses to enjoying his first UEFA Champions League campaign most of all. "That anthem would give anybody a boost. I've been listening to it on TV since I was a child and it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The tempo and standard of the games are completely different. It's a great thrill for me."

Nor do the physical effects of playing two matches a week at the highest level dampen his enthusiasm. "I'm very young and I feel very fit. I suppose that's normal for someone my age but I find that there's plenty of time to recover between matches," he maintains.

Versatility allied with quality
Sergio Ramos has played in the centre of defence, as a defensive midfielder, and at right-back, but where does he feel most at home? "I've been asked that question many times but I've never given a straight answer because I feel that versatility is a very important quality in a player. As long as the coach decides to play me from the start, I'm not too bothered about where I play."

As a youngster, like many of his peers Ramos used to play much further up the field. "In Camas (a team from Seville) I played on the right-wing and even as a striker. At youth level in Sevilla I also used to try my luck up front, where you get to have more fun," he remarks with a smile. "Now I just save my goalscoring for corners or the odd free-kick."

He admits that he was not particularly fanatical about football as a child. "I used to like football but it was my brother who played. I used to go and watch him play for Camas FC and when I was six, he spoke to the coach and I started playing for them. Then at the age of nine I was lucky enough to sign for Sevilla where I stayed for ten years. And now here I am," he says simply, looking back over his short but intense sporting career.

Amongst Ramos's long and varied list of sporting heroes are the likes of Bernd Schuster, Fernando Redondo, Pablo Alfaro, Javi Navarro, and Fernando Hierro. In fact, there are many who believe that the elegant young defender could be the man to finally fill the giant hole left in the Madrid backline by Hierro's departure. "It's a massive compliment to be compared with him. It makes me feel really proud but I'm very young and I still haven't proved myself at Real Madrid. I can only hope that in a few years time I can make history at this club just like he did."

For the time being, he already has a European U-19 Championship winner's medal in his trophy cabinet, won back in 2004 in Switzerland. The win saw Spain book their place at the FIFA World Youth Championship Netherlands 2005, although Ramos himself was unable to make the trip, having by this time taken the step up to Luis Aragonés's senior squad. His full national team debut came on 30 March 2005, as he celebrated his 19th birthday by facing Serbia and Montenegro in Belgrade on the road to qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™.

The classy defender has his mind firmly set on winning trophies with his club, although this summer's showpiece tournament on German soil has not escaped his attention: "It is a goal that I've set myself and I'm giving it my all every day to earn the right to play in something as huge as a World Cup." notas_de_prensa_archivo