We’re delighted to announce that Sergio Ramos is still ruffling everyone’s feathers
Finding ourselves in the middle of 2025, you’d think everybody in football would know not to rile Sergio Ramos unnecessarily.
Captain of Mexican side Monterrey, Ramos was preparing to face Inter Milan in their opening Club World Cup game when the opposition manager showed the metaphoric red flag to one of football’s most tempestuous bulls.
“With all due respect, we have little information on them,” Inter’s new boss Christian Chivu said.
“From what I’ve seen, they’re an aggressive, vertical team that enjoys keeping possession and has a lot of individual quality.”
Ramos took note of Chivu’s comments and, after pinning them to the dressing room wall, told the media they would work in Monterrey’s favour.
“Maybe they know four or five names on our squad, and that can actually be an advantage,” Ramos said.
“The less they know about us, the better. Tomorrow, they’ll get to see the level of some of our players—guys with incredible talent who may not be well known yet.”
Still suffering from a Champions League final hangover – losing by five goals being the equivalent of necking 15 jagerbombs and throwing up on your ex’s lap – Inter were left ruing their failure to turn their dominance into goals.
The Italian side could only draw 1-1 with their unfamiliar opponents, Lautaro Martinez cancelling out a genuinely thrilling header by Ramos.
After a scrappy opening 20 minutes, Oliver Torres whipped in a sharp corner and Ramos rose high above Alessandro Bastoni and thundered in a header.
The Rose Bowl crowd erupted as the Mexicans took a shock lead, gifted to them by their inspirational skipper.
Monterrey corner = Sergio Ramos goal 😤
(via @DAZNFootball)pic.twitter.com/y0ezGjpz1L
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 18, 2025
“Any detail, whether in attack or defence, can be decisive,” Ramos said about Monterrey’s ambitions at the Club World Cup.
“We have to make the most of every second every game, every training session and from there, try to go as far as possible. Competing with dignity and honour is the minimum this club expects from us.”
Ramos also addressed the broader perception of Mexican football, expressing belief in its potential while acknowledging there’s work to be done.
“Mexican soccer has tons of talent, no doubt about it,” he said.
“But there’s still room for improvement in areas like mindset, training habits, and professionalism.
“These things need to be fine-tuned for the league to truly become elite.”
Despite the competition that has struggled for relevancy in England and Europe, early indications are that Latin American teams are taking the Club World Cup more seriously.
Backed by hordes of supporters and eager to test themselves against UEFA opposition, sides like Monterrey have injected fresh vigour into Gianni Infantino’s stodgy competition.
Ramos is playing in his last global tournament and the legendary defender took pleasure in rolling back the years against the might of Inter Milan.
We blame new Inter boss Chivu for providing the 39-year-old with all the motivation needed to remind everybody of his evergreen talent.
By Michael Lee
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