After he retires from Spain's international team, Sergio Ramos will no longer play in the national team, claiming the country's new coach, Luis de la Fuente, had warned him not to count on him.
The Paris Saint-Germain defender last competed for Spain in March 2021. He won the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships with La Roja.
In an open letter on social media, Ramos, who turns 37 in March, said the new coach coerced him.
Ramos wrote that the national squad, "our cherished and vibrant Roja," must now be bid farewell.
Did you read this?
The current coach called me this morning and informed me that he does not and will not rely on me, regardless of the level I can demonstrate or the direction my career takes.
With great sadness, I say goodbye to a voyage I had anticipated would go longer and leave me with a better impression at the pinnacle of all our triumphs with our Children.
Ramos appeared for Spain 180 times, more than any other player has ever done.
Luis Enrique did not select him for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, although he had recovered from his injury and was playing well for PSG.
De la Fuente replaced Luis Enrique in December after Spain's World Cup exit against Morocco in the round of 16.
In March, Spain will play qualifiers against Scotland and Norway for Euro 2024.
Ramos went on to say, "I sincerely think that this career deserved to come to an end due to a choice I made or because I didn't perform to the standards that our national team deserves, but not because of my age or other reasons that, without having heard them, I have felt.
The defender cited other seasoned athletes who are still performing well, such as Lionel Messi of PSG, who won the World Cup with Argentina last year at 35.
Ramos continued that being young or older is only a transient feature seldom connected with performance or ability.
He referenced Messi and two former Real Madrid teammates who participated in the World Cup: Luka Modric, 37, of Croatia, and Pepe, 39, of Portugal.
"Modric, Messi, and Pepe embody the spirit, tradition, ideals, meritocracy, and justice in football, and I look at them with admiration and envy.
"However, since I play football, it won't be the same for me. never just football and is never fair," the player said.
