Sergio Ramos is among the few football athletes who seemed apparently unmoved by the riches of Saudi Arabia or the enticement of Major League Soccer.
Regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, the Real Madrid legend is on the twilights of his heroic career.
After a legendary career with Real Madrid in his native Spain, Ramos joined PSG in French Ligue 1 in 2021 on a two-year contract.
When his PSG contract expired in 2023, he was linked to a move to Saudi Arabia and the MLS.
Just like every other top footballer nearing the final days of his career, it was thought the former Spain international and 2010 World Cup winner would move to the MLS or Saudi Arabia.
Ramos reportedly attracted interest from top clubs in Saudi Arabia when his contract was about to expire. Saudi Pro League champions, Al-Ittihad, who signed Karim Benzema from Real Madrid, were also pushing for a move for Ramos with reports a lucrative offer was on the table for the player.
The 37-year-old also attracted interest from MLS with some MLS clubs lining up offers for him. Galatasaray and FC Porto were the only two European clubs with an offer for Ramos.
Amidst the array of interests that milled around him in 2023, Ramos shockingly ditched all the offers, including ludicrous contract offers from SPL and the MLS to return to Spain.
Speaking on why he turned down the move via the Sevilla website, Ramos said he had never been motivated by money on his career decisions but by impulses.
‘I have always been a person, who is moved by impulse and heart and never money. That is why it didn’t make sense for me to go to Saudi Arabia, to the MLS, no anywhere else but Sevilla.”
On September 4, 2023, Ramos returned to Sevilla his boyhood club after 18 years since he left the club in 2005 to join Real Madrid.
He signed a one-year contract with the club and reached an agreement for a significantly reduced wage offer than he could have earned in Saudi Arabia or MLS.
With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, Ramos is reportedly eyeing a new contract extension with Sevilla. He has made 17 LaLiga appearances for the club, scoring two goals.
