After 180 caps across an 18-year career, Sergio Ramos has announced his retirement from international football.
The former Real Madrid captain had not played for Spain in two years, having been continuously left out by previous tournaments by head coach Luis Enrique.
However, there was hope that new boss Luis de la Fuente would recall the 36-year-old to the national team setup when he announces his first squad in March as La Roja begin their Euro 2024 qualifying matches.
Unfortunately for Ramos, de la Fuente has opted against calling him up, which the player confirmed himself, and as such, has announced in a statement to his social media accounts that his playing days for Spain are over.
Ramos was part of the golden generation for La Roja, which won one World Cup and two European Champions between 2008 and 2012 under the stewardships of Luis Aragones and Vicente del Bosque respectively. He is the second player from that time to announce his retirement in a matter of months, after Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets did the same in December.
As such, de la Fuente will be without two experienced figures when he begins his journey as Spain head coach next month.
