Sergio Ramos reveals doubt over leaving Real Madrid for PSG
By Sean Walsh
Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos has admitted that he initially questioned his decision to leave for Paris Saint-Germain back in 2021.
After a 16-year spell at the Santiago Bernabeu which saw him win every trophy available to Real Madrid several times over, Ramos decided to leave the Spanish capital in search of a new challenge.
He joined French side PSG in the same summer that they also recruited Lionel Messi, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Achraf Hakimi.
However, due to a series of injuries, Ramos did not make his debut until November 2021 and would go on to make just 13 appearances in his first season in France. He has become more of a regular fixture this campaign having already played 30 games.
Speaking to UEFA ahead of PSG's Champions League heavyweight clash with Bayern Munich in the last 16, Ramos revealed that while he wanted a fresh challenge late in his career, his early injury woes had him questioning whether he made the right choice to leave Real Madrid.
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"Leaving Real Madrid was, obviously, a very big change. My goal is always to keep winning. I won a lot with Real Madrid, but I thought it was a good opportunity to change scenery...to try to help a team like them Paris," Ramos said.
"At the beginning everything was very difficult. You have to find a home and settle down, especially when you come with a family, in my case with four children. The process was a bit hard at first, but everything has turned out well.
"At the beginning, after making the jump, everything went wrong. I got injured, it was hard for me to recover and adapt to the new system, the new team and the new coach. You start to doubt if you have done the right thing or not.
"However, my career has always been defined by perseverance, perseverance and hard work. It's about keeping fighting, that will give meaning to things that happen in the future."
Regarding PSG's dream to finally win the Champions League - a competition Ramos has won four times - he added: "Marriages are always based on a dream, and in a perfect couple everything will be great. But football doesn't always work out. The best teams don't always win. As for me, what I can say is that I am where I want to be, and this is a club that is very hungry to win the Champions League. I want to make the most of what remains of my career to try to win this competition again."