Sergio Ramos has dropped a bombshell in his farewell press conference from Real Madrid.
The centre-back will leave Real Madrid after 16 years this summer with his contract set to expire at the end of the month, the two parties failing to come to an agreement over a new deal.
Ramos has won all there is to win with Los Blancos, including five La Liga titles and four Champions League titles, but it seems he wasn’t exactly given the respect you would expect a club legend to receive when trying to find a new deal.
Earlier this season, it was reported by Marca that Ramos would not pen a new short-term deal on a reduced salary, leading to talks rumbling on beyond the current campaign.
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But Ramos himself has now put those rumours to bed, making it clear he accepted a deal in recent weeks with reduced terms only to be told by the club that it was no longer on the table.
He said during his departing press conference, as transcribed by The Athletic’s Dermot Corrigan: “I never wanted to leave Real Madrid, always wanted to continue here. Club offered me one year, with drop in salary.
“I wanted two years, for me and my family. Then I was told that the offer from the club was no longer there, time had run out, and I had not realised.
“I decided to accept the offer, I thought was still on the table, but they said it was by now too late.”
That revelation will upset many Real Madrid fans, who have been heartbroken by the departure of their beloved captain, but Ramos insists there are no hard feelings between him and club president Florentino Perez.
He added; “My relationship with the president has always been extraordinary, like father and son, in a sporting sense. All families have their ups and downs. I will remember it positively, for all I lived here in 16 years.”