Sergio Ramos, who was part of Spain’s 2010 World Cup winning team, says he is retiring from playing for his country with a “broken heart” after being told by new coach Luis de la Fuente that he will not play for him.
The Paris St-Germain defender, 36, is Spain’s all-time capped player with 180 appearances.
From the third month in 2021 he did not play for Spain again and was left by the Spanish coach Luis Enrique in the players he took to the World Cup last year.
On social media on Thursday, Ramos said, “The time has come.
“It’s time to say goodbye to our beloved national team and it’s exciting.
“It’s the end of a journey that I hoped would continue and end with a better taste in my mouth, equal to all the good things we achieved with La Roja [Spain’s national football team]”.
Ramos said he made the decision after a phone conversation with coach De la Fuente, who replaced Enrique after Spain were eliminated by Morocco in one of their eight World Cup matches.
“This morning [Thursday] I was called by the current coach who told me that he does not need me and will not need me, regardless of the level I can show or how I continue my sports career,” said Ramos.
Ramos started playing for Spain in 2005, when he was 18 years old.
Ramos (left) won the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships with Spain
But he has not played for his country since coming on as a last-minute substitute in Spain’s 3-1 World Cup qualifier win over Kosovo two years ago.
He said: “I think that my career should have ended because of my decision or when my games were not at the level our national team deserves, not because of age or other reasons.”
“Being young or just being young is not a value or a habit, it is something that only happens at a certain time and does not necessarily have anything to do with games or abilities.
“I enjoy watching and I’m jealous when I see [Luka] Modric, [Lionel] Messi, Pepe…the basics, the behavior, the values, seeing things you fought for and justice in football
“Unfortunately, it won’t happen because football is not always balanced and football is never just about football”.
It is his decision