For the past two years, Paris Saint-Germain central defender Sergio Ramos has dealt with injuries that have prevented him from seeing the pitch consistently. However, as of now, it appears the 36-year-old is healthy to start the 2022-23 season preparations.
Should the Spanish defender remain healthy for most of the season, L’Equipe columnist Yoann Riou says Ramos should be the unquestionable leader at PSG for the upcoming campaign. Riou adds that the former Real Madrid captain’s credentials should allow him to have the most prominent voice in the dressing room.
“If Ramos is not injured, obviously it must be the leader of the pack, the leader of the team, and the boss of the locker room. He has four Champions League’s, a World Cup, and two Euros, and above all a thousand other things,” Riou said on L’Equipe du Soir (via Canal Supporters)
“He knows absolutely everything about this sport, this game, this environment. It’s been a year since he arrived, plus he was able to gauge, judge, and watch. He was not a disaster against Real Madrid and, therefore, unassailable. He knows the experience; he won 3 billion times more than the others.”
Furthermore, Riou proceeds by saying that Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar Jr. should not feel as though they’re above Ramos, saying whenever the Spain international speaks, the players on the squad need to listen.
“In addition, he is a bit far from Mbappe, Messi, and Neymar. So I think he’s above the fray. Ramos, you listen to him; you follow his footsteps and his journey,” Riou added.
“It’s true that it’s fashionable to make fun of Ramos a little saying that he has been injured for two years. But he is injured because, for almost 20 years, he has never missed a match; he has played injured a thousand times. It means he has the soul for the shirt. I think he can find his body.”
Many hope Ramos can put his injury problems behind him and play a significant role at PSG as he enters the final year of a two-year deal with the French giants.