Sergio Ramos (2021–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - Origins - full transcript

The crowd
at the Sánchez-Pizjuán is booing.

Sergio Ramos will shoot
with his right foot.

Goal, goal, goal!

Sergio Ramos celebrates quite

serenely, one could say.

Why did this happen?
Because I didn't speak.

And there was only one person
responsible for that.

- Sergio, one, first.
- Ready.

Well, my departure
from Sevilla is a subject

I never wanted to talk about
because it was so delicate.

I was just a kid, too.



I lacked experience
to explain what had happened,

but I think that it is now
the perfect time to talk,

to tell people what happened
and how it happened.

THE LEGEND OF
SERGIO RAMOS

ORIGINS

MARCH 8 2020

The leading team, Real Madrid,

will wait until 9:00 to play
in the stadium of Betis,

thinking after Hazard's operation,

it reached today 118 years of history
and will visit Benito Villamarín.

Zidane knows that winning against Barça
means nothing if they don't beat Betis.

A big game at Villamarín Stadium
to close this day of LaLiga Santander.

Real Madrid wants to be on the top,
they lost yesterday.

Barcelona managed to emerge victorious
at Camp Nou against Real Sociedad.



They face Betis,
in desperate need of a win,

with Rubi walking on thin ice
and watching other teams climbing up.

We are crowded together

Just like cannonballs

Everything is ready for a great game
to start at Benito Villamarín Stadium.

We'd still see you as champions

Betis, Betis, Betis

Now Betis, now

Don't you stop attacking Betis

SEVILLE

SIX DAYS
BEFORE THE GAME

Seville has my flavor.

This flavor, my roots, my culture.

Seville has a different atmosphere.

My estate, the smell of orange trees,
orange blossoms.

And just one day is enough for me
to get my strength back.

It's like a mental energy boost

to take on whatever's ahead of me.

I get together with my friends,
have a barbecue, which is what I like.

Surround myself with some flamenco.
It just gives me life.

Where do you want this, Sergio?

Just leave it here.

- We have chistorra, too, okay?
- Let's carve this up a bit.

Getting together,
which I can't do very often,

helps me escape, unwind.

It'll cook slowly,
but it will take a while.

An evening snack.

Or a snack-supper, right?

There.

We've been doing barbecues for 20 years.

They really know me.

They know what I think, what I feel,
how hard it was to get to where I am.

Manuel, hit it!

- Now it's good.
- I need you to taste it, one by one.

This is a little tasting.

Good, good.

We've been friends for many years,
we know and support each other.

He enjoys himself,
and he doesn't forget where he comes from.

His roots and the people around him,
and that's very important,

so that he can have that place of retreat
we all need, so we can escape.

What will we do for Karen's birthday?

She's the imaginative one.

I saw the album we gave you
for your 40th birthday.

So, we should think of something
along the same lines, right?

These photos, my God.

- These photos are so good.
- They are good.

Everyone used to call me "Stork"
in school.

- Stork?
- Yeah,

my legs were so long.

What I hated was the uniform.

Having to go wearing that checkered skirt.

I also remember
that I joined the basketball team,

and in that season,
I only scored one basket.

And it was my team's basket.
So, the worst.

Basketball wasn't my thing.

Here's a photo of my cousin and I, right?

And I'm not much taller than...
I'm not tall, you know?

But next to her... Where is it?

She's like one foot taller.

It's true she was wearing heels.

I was wearing heels. See?

My father didn't want me to wear this,
I wore it when he was away.

My girl knows I love her more than anyone

And even if it hurts me
You still tell me no

And even if it hurts me

And even if it kills me
Even if it kills me

Very few of us know Sergio as a person...

RENÉ
BROTHER AND AGENT

...and many people claim to know Sergio,
but it's not real.

He doesn't live in a bubble.
He knows the concerns of his friends.

But soccer eventually forces you...

DANI CONTONENTE
PERSONAL FRIEND

...to create a private circle.

He'll maybe call one
of his singer friends and he'll play.

He plays the guitar.
He does everything.

PAQUI
MOTHER

Finish it up.

Let's go.

Let's do it.

I'll do what I can.

This gives him life.

Oh, she comes up to me
I tell her about my sorrows

She is my companion

He croons. He croons a little.

ALEJANDRO SANZ FRIEND

He plays the cajón. He has rhythm, he's...

The old-school would say
he is a good amateur.

He's someone who knows folk singing,
he knows the singers, the people...

The flamenco musicians.

It is definitely in his blood,
that's clearly visible.

Now I understand
Why my neighbor kicked me out

I remember that, during the World Cup,

I'd text him and say,
"You're playing flamenco style?"

Which means to play with that liveliness
and that rhythm, that...

Olé.

Olé, yeah.

And now...

I always was like the weirdo in my class.

All the other girls would dress
a lot more formal,

and I used to have a different style,
and I was like the weirdo, the freak,

but so what?

- With the ripped pants and shirts.
- I can't change that.

I was super shy. Super shy.

In fact, one year,
which was my last year of English,

we had to do
a show-and-tell in class.

When they told me that, I quit the course.
But suddenly...

Well, casually,

I ended up in showbusiness
and started discovering a part of me

that I didn't know existed,
which I started liking

and I felt comfortable.

When I was 17,

I wanted to learn English.
My parents told me,

"Well, keep studying in school."

I said, "No, I must go abroad.

"I want to go to Dublin in the summer."

"We're not giving you money."
And my first job,

I had to play a mother
in a commercial and hold a baby,

being 17...
And I got paid 40 000 pesetas.

I could pay for the plane ticket
to Dublin and not much else.

She's very family-oriented as well.

She has her bonds, her faithful friends.

They've known each other all their lives,
and makes me happy.

I'm not as lucky as her to have

my friends in Madrid,
and that's why I love going to Seville

and getting together with them.

It's really exciting.
Going back to the past,

going back in time.

This is where I grew up,
where I first started playing soccer,

and so I will always
hold those memories dear

and I will always be grateful.

FIVE DAYS
BEFORE THE GAME

Me and all my brothers studied here,
at La Colina School.

It was a pretty quiet neighborhood,
surrounded by nature. We were always...

We would make bows,
we would go and shoot arrows.

That's how we would kill time,
but especially playing soccer, too.

He was born during the Holy Week,
on Resurrection Sunday.

We were crazy about him.

René is eight years older than him
and Mirian is only 16 months older.

René was the person I would look up to
because he was my role model,

he was into soccer,
I wanted to be like him.

I wanted to dress like him.

I wanted to go
where he could go to and I couldn't.

He was older,
he was about seven or eight years older,

and my sister Mirian,
well, being the girl in the family,

always had my father's attention,
and my brother's and mine.

As I'm only 16 months older,
Sergio and I have always been together.

MIRIAN
SISTER

The same friends.

That created a really tight bond
and relationship between us two.

Here is where we spent many hours

of our childhood,
especially playing soccer.

Sometimes, we would race here,
but we would play soccer most of all.

All the friends from the neighborhood,

and with Balcón de Sevilla,

they also had a soccer pitch
and there was a big rivalry between us.

Just imagine, there was no social media.

No videogames.
All you could do was play outside.

And, of course, the soccer ball was king.

My house is the second floor.
The first window was the living room.

The second window, my brother and I.

We shared a room
until I was 19 years old,

before joining Real Madrid.

As soon as he was born
they turned him over to me,

and we shared
the same room for many years

and we lived some very emotional moments.

His passion has always been soccer.
Ever since he was little.

All he wanted was the ball, the ball.

All day long, it was just...

Everywhere, in the house,
out on the street.

Always. And inside the house, too.
He and his brother broke many ashtrays.

My father was always out on the balcony,
watching me play,

watching our little matches,
and I had to put up with him telling me,

"You can't miss that goal" and whatnot.
"Pass it to your teammate."

JOSÉ MARÍA FATHER

I played in Sevilla's reserve team
until I injured my knee.

And Sergio,
obviously, since he was little,

has always loved playing soccer.

One is born with that.
You either have it or you don't.

After winning a game, he would ask...

His father was always critical.
Maybe he would say,

"I know he can do better."

I'd say, "Better? He played great,
everyone congratulated him."

From the back he'd say,
"I never play good enough for Dad."

My father would highlight
those three little mistakes I had made

and would leave my virtues aside.

I tried to always put him in his place.

Because soccer depends on so many things.

Besides being good at it,
you need a lot of factors,

and we've always had that in mind
throughout his career.

And then, my mom.
My mom would yell at me from over there,

"Boy, come eat!"
I'd say, "Throw it to me."

She'd say, "No, come inside."

I had to insist a lot
to make him come up for dinner.

I would have to go
and drag him all the way.

His father would look out,
and he would obey him.

He wouldn't listen to me so easily.
"Let me play a little while longer."

There is a convent,
they had a swimming pool for the summer,

girls in bikinis, and my group of friends
would go and jump the fence

so that we could see the nice view.

That's how we would entertain ourselves
and kill time.

There was this security guard
who would shoot at us with a salt gun,

and a couple of us got shot
for trying to jump the fence

to see what the atmosphere was like.

I started playing in my neighborhood,
in the little square,

and in my case, since I liked

getting together with my sister's friends,
who were all older,

or even my brother's friends,
I already had something.

I played for the neighborhood team,
for Camas,

and since he would insist so much
and was so annoying, in a good way,

he always wanted to come with me,

and I started taking him
to the neighborhood team

and he would sit on the side,
eating his sandwich.

I would tell him, "René, I want to play,"

and he'd say, "You're too young.

"The federation is for ages
eight and higher, and you're six."

And I said,
"Talk to the coach, maybe I can practice."

One of the kids loaned me
a pair of cleats and I practiced.

And the coach said, "Damn, René,

"would your brother want to play?

"There's a kid,
his father got transferred."

Back then, they worked it out
somehow took care of the formalities,

and he started playing
with kids who were two years older.

And that's how he entered
the world of soccer.

And about eight months later,
that season hadn't even finished yet,

people from the Sevilla club
started calling us.

They were interested in him
joining the most junior team of Sevilla.

It was fast.

One day my dad said,
"Sevilla called asking for you."

Obviously, I was super excited,
very happy.

"But this doesn't mean that

"they're going to keep you.
You need to do well,

"and if there's no luck,
we'll stay with Camas.

"We're not in a hurry for Sevilla."
My father always, I don't know,

he had blind faith in me,

and I get emotional talking about him

because he did a lot, you know?
Helping me, and he still does.

I will always be grateful
for what he did for me.

Our mission is to win.

Sure, but you can win cleanly.
It's okay if you don't win.

- Yes.
- You look really eager.

- Of course.
- He's a little mad.

- Your goal is to play for who?
- For Sevilla.

When he came to the training facility,
we saw...

PABLO BLANCO
DIRECTOR, SEVILLA FC YOUTH ACADEMY

...a small kid, with the right size
for his age, 10 years old,

and he was very jaunty.
We set up a match,

he started playing, and it looked like

he had been playing with us
for a long time, not shy or inhibited,

but, "This kid,
there's something about him.

"Will you keep bringing him?"
They said, "No problem."

AGUSTíN LÓPEZ
COORDINATOR, SEVILLA YOUTH ACADEMY

It was striking to see him play
as if he were in his neighborhood.

We started playing for Sevilla
and having fun at a very young age.

JESÚS NAVAS
TEAMMATE ON SPANISH TEAM

You could see
the drive and the excitement he had.

He stood out because, being so young,

he had this personality,
this natural-born leadership.

He was not afraid of facing his teammates,
his opponents.

He enjoyed wearing the crest of Sevilla.
It's what he was happiest about.

There are photos of him at a young age
wearing the captain's armband.

I mean, when the coach picks someone

so young to be the captain, it's because
he has influence over the team.

He's younger, but I've always
thought of him as an older brother.

The way he leads and captains the team.

He's the same off the pitch,

and that has always made me trust him.

He loved getting the ball
and carrying it to the opponent's box.

In the square, in the pitch,
for Camas, I played as a winger.

My heroes were Ronaldo,
Claudio Caniggia, "Valdanito" Crespo.

I was used to destabilizing
the opponent, I was fast.

You would give him instructions,
and he would run to the other side.

He would go where he wanted, where he felt
intuitively that the ball was going to go.

This untamable nature, this animal-like

competitiveness that Sergio has,
he was born with it.

Pablo Blanco,
when I was playing as a kid, said to me,

"There are no right wing backs in Spain."

He said to me once,
"Forget the winger position, pivots,

"there's plenty.
There are no right wing backs."

And that became my objective.

TWO DAYS
BEFORE THE GAME

Okay.

Shall we begin? Back squat.

Get to the step. Okay.

I became a physiotherapist in 2002.
My father knew the doctor...

DAVID ESCRIVÁ "GORRI"
REAL MADRID PHYSIOTHERAPIST

...and said, "David, you're going
to the Sevilla Academy as an intern."

Ten, okay? At full speed. Keep
your body straight and push up. That's it.

He played for the junior team.
Second year.

He was 16,
and he got promoted to the reserve team.

When you saw this beast play,

"Wow, this kid is really 16 years old?"

I think we all got it right with Sergio.

We predicted, "He will be successful."

I think we all thought that about Sergio.
I mean, technically,

tactically, even. He had things to learn,
but physically, he stood out.

One, two, up with my right leg.

- Now with your left.
- With my left.

When he was 14 he had a knee injury,

and things looked bad,

because we thought
he wasn't going to recover.

Bikes were forbidden to me
since I joined the club,

and I had an unfortunate accident
with my brother-in-law, Carlos.

I suffered a Salter-Harris fracture
in my tibial plateau,

and I shattered my growth plate.

And we had to tell the club the truth,
of course, because it was inevitable.

The club forbids you from riding a bike.

Even my father forbade me.

I had my doubts back then.
Sergio stopped at a very important stage,

the youth player stage at age 14, 15, 16,
right before the reserve team,

where you can tell
if the player is fit for the reserve team.

It was a year or a bit longer.

It was hard for him
because he could barely walk.

I nearly became lame,
and it lasted for about a year.

I went through
an extremely painful rehabilitation.

I had a flexion deformity of the knee
and I couldn't extend the knee completely.

He was unable to fully extend his knee.

He would top out at about 98%.

It would stay like this.
The traumatologists told him,

"You'll need 100% to play soccer."

I did think at some point,
"Well, I screwed up," you know?

"I shattered my knee and now
the least I can do is make an effort.

"I screwed up enough as it is.

"I need to be mentally strong and regain
the knee flexibility I need to have."

That's when they're
a little more vulnerable.

Because when they're at the top,

they need to feel like they're the best
and almost invulnerable.

But then they need to hit reset,

they need to learn
and try to come back stronger.

Fifteen?

At home, he would attach some rubber bands
to the couch for his exercises,

and he would be in tears from the pain.

I'll make it a little harder.

Here, hold it there.

Letting my parents down
after everything they had done for me,

and getting all this way to just throw
it all away because of a bike accident,

made me feel so bad
that it motivated me

to take out all the anger I had in me.

I would do exercises
that would make me cry in pain.

It was crazy every day, but, well,

the pain and suffering
only made me try harder.

It's really

striking and shocking to see a kid,

because he was just a kid at the time,

he was only 14,
with such a mature mentality, you know?

That's when we noticed how committed
and determined he was.

- Good? Yeah?
- Good, man.

Very good. Again.

Okay.

There is a lot of work behind
a television show or a soccer match.

- Hello.
- Hi.

How's it going? How are you? Good?

- Very good.
- Looking forward to it?

Yeah. I have a bit of a backache,
but it will go away.

- Yeah?
- Yeah, for sure.

So, what are we doing today?

We're going to work on some techniques,
series of hand exercises,

and then the leg work.

I brought paws, so we're going to...
For some power exercises.

- Okay.
- Let's warm up a little.

In every profession,
no matter what you do, you must prepare.

No one comes to your house
to offer you a job.

Just like I have to study a script,
I have to be fit.

Keep moving.

The most important thing,
one foot ahead of the other.

Never cross your feet. Cover up.
That's it, stance is very important.

Let's get to work. I'll put my arm up,
one step at a time. That's it.

That's it. Keep moving.

My head is always in overdrive,
I mean, I'm always thinking too much.

I need things to make me concentrate

and focus in what I'm doing
and not thinking about anything else.

I achieve that with martial arts,
with kickboxing. Why?

If I get distracted I can receive a blow.

That's it.

The beautiful thing about this
is the self-confidence it gives you,

you feel like you can use your reflexes
for more than just physical training.

You feel a lot more calm
about what might happen through life.

Oh... Okay, time out.

And oss.

- Excellent.
- Okay.

Great.

ONE DAY
BEFORE THE GAME

Barcelona has
a two-point advantage over Real Madrid,

waiting to see how Zidane's side performs
in Betis' stadium.

La Liga table is Barcelona, 58,

Real Madrid, 56, Sevilla, 47.

Betis are now five points away
from relegation.

Let's see what happens tomorrow,
and we'll talk about it.

The rivalry between Sevilla and Betis...
It's hard to explain it.

You have to live in Seville
to understand what that means.

Every time I play against Betis,
I have a completely different feeling

but, as years go by, whatever makes me
go back home to Seville

makes me smile.

I remember going with my dad and granddad,

they would take me
to the stadium of Sevilla

and if Sevilla won the game,
it would make my whole week.

One is born with love for Sevilla.
It's not something...

A Sevilla supporter is born,
your family passes it on to you.

I am a Sevilla and a Madrid supporter.

I remember that winning a Sevilla-Betis
derby would make my whole year.

He made his debut at 17.

He was 17, with Sevilla Atlético,
with Manolo Jiménez.

We all hoped to reach the top,

and then we had a coach

who had a lot of faith in us.
First, it was Manolo Jiménez,

and we were together,
and then Joaquín Caparrós.

They were very important to us.

JORGE VALDANO
FORMER GENERAL MANAGER, REAL MADRID

In the development process of a player,

no one is more important
than the coach of their first team.

And Caparrós,
obviously, deserves that credit.

Joaquín instilled serenity in us
at all times.

He told us to just do
what we were doing in practice,

and above all, work and unity.

Caparrós, after the last training
before the game, came up to me

and said, "Kid, I'm going to call you up.

"Be ready, okay?" And all I could say was,
"Coach, thank you so much.

"This is the dream I've always had.

"Thank you, from my part, from my father,
my mother, my grandparents."

It's an unforgettable moment.

Caparrós puts his faith on the youth.
It's Sergio Ramos' turn.

That day I couldn't even have my nap,
I spent the afternoon walking around

the neighborhood,
telling everyone, "I was called up

"for the senior team tomorrow."
So, obviously, you know,

we were cheering Sevilla on
and, three months later,

I'm playing with Sevilla.

It's one of the key moments of my life.

Just turning my head and seeing him
look towards the bench and...

"Ramos, Bezares,
you both, start warming up."

And I thought, "Damn,
I'm going to play after all. Yeah."

So we started warming up and he calls me,

gives me my jersey with the number 35...

It was a dream.

And I remembered everyone.
My grandparents,

my parents,
the bad moments we had gone through

and it was my turn to enjoy

and step onto the grass of Riazor.

It's this player's debut.

He's 17 years old and has signed
his first contract this week.

His name is Sergio Ramos and has shown
a magnificent performance on the pitch.

I was so young back then that
my impulsiveness was calling the shots,

instead of concern
in the face of what I was living,

of playing in the first division.

And this boldness,
or thoughtlessness, so to speak,

made me feel comfortable
and play naturally.

The coach, Joaquín Caparrós, trusted him

and gave him a spot
in the starting lineup.

Back then, Sevilla was starting

to forge what they are today.

And he benched important players
for Sevilla, veteran players.

He didn't care if it was Dani Alves,
Javi Navarro, Pablo Alfaro.

All he wanted was...

He came as if it were
the last day of training.

He did everything Caparrós told him.

Caparrós is a coach
who has a lot of character, courage,

spirit, he's vigorous.

Since everything happened so fast,
we enjoyed it, but maybe

we didn't enjoy it as much
as other stages of his career.

But the memories from back then
are amazing

because it had always been our dream
and what everyone of us wanted for him.

REAL MADRID CITY

What shall we do?

- A little soleus muscle?
- Yes. Soleus and then ankle, right?

- Yeah. Okay.
- We'll finish it up.

Okay.

He talks about everything.

The things he would talk about
with a friend.

But the topic of soccer is always
very present, of course.

You didn't train your muscles early.
Remember when you started?

Yeah. It's been a long time.

- Seventeen, right?

- Yeah.
- In 17 years from now, I'll be 60.

Yeah.

We will have spent more time together
than with our parents.

- Yeah.
- When exactly did you come to Madrid?

In 2016.

When I told you...

"I'll talk to Gorri,"
I said to my brother.

"See what he thinks. It's just that Gorri
is a typical Sevillian."

I thought,
"I don't know if it'll be a good time."

I still miss it.

I guess it was the same for you
when it happened to you.

Right. To me, yeah.

After all, you know,
it's hard to make the decision at first.

Ramos is living his best season.

At the age of 19,
he is now indisputable in Sevilla

and has made
two international appearances.

Real Madrid looks
for a defender like Sergio Ramos.

Sergio Ramos has a cancellation clause.

Sergio Ramos' transfer would be possible
through that cancellation clause only.

Through acquaintances in the soccer world,
you start getting calls.

The club's emissaries at the time
got in touch with us

and showed their interest.

Ramos' goal against Real Madrid was

yet another bombshell
in his fantastic season.

Witnessed live by Arrigo Sacchi
and Emilio Butragueño, at the age of 19,

the Whites have already targeted him
as a possible signing.

I was surprised to hear
that Real Madrid was interested in him,

Real Madrid isn't fit for minors,
except very few special cases.

Your name has to be Raúl,
Casillas, Sergio,

in order to wear the jersey
and not feel the shock.

He was a player
who attracted the attention

of the best teams in Europe

because everyone could see his potential.

We had the chance to sign
for Manchester United, for Arsenal,

and Valencia were also interested.

Eighteenth minute. Nil-nil at the Pizjuán.

It is taken short...

Sevilla have scored! It's Sergio Ramos.
Caparrós' side gets ahead.

You have to admit,
not even Casillas would've saved that one.

Back then we had problems,

financial problems, so to speak.

So... Reyes left, Baptista left.

And this sort of thing was good
for Sevilla,

all these player transfers.

I have made many mistakes,

and perhaps the biggest mistake
I made at the time was

not giving an explanation.

Not giving a press conference
to explain everything.

Because I let other people
tell the story for me.

Sergio Ramos is still
under the spotlight in Sevilla.

The young defender has breakfast
every morning...

BATTLE OVER SERGIO RAMOS
SERGIO RAMOS FOR OWEN

...reading about his transfer.

For the president of Sevilla there is
no news at all.

- Have you received a formal offer?
- No.

- Have they shown their interest for him?
- No.

My signing for Real Madrid
when I decided to leave Sevilla was

a transfer
that the clubs completely agreed on,

in this case Florentino and Del Nido,
who were the presidents of the two teams.

Arrigo Sacchi refused to confirm

that the money
for Owen's transfer will be used

to pay Ramos' cancellation clause.

Real Madrid will not even think
about an offer for Ramos this season.

The time runs out
and everyone, even Ramos,

knows that he could be their choice.

It's always good
to have people talk about you.

The numbers
from this operation are overwhelming.

More costly than Baptista, Robinho.

The 27,000,000 euros paid

for his cancellation clause
make the defender

the most expensive
Spanish player in history.

The first signing of a national player
since Pérez is Real Madrid's president.

Sevilla's international defender will play
for Real Madrid for eight seasons.

The cancellation clause was never paid,
as everyone claimed then.

This caused, well,

the supporters
to maybe not show towards me

the affection that I have always felt
for them and always will feel.

The supporters paid more attention
to two players, Baptista and Sergio Ramos.

The hostility towards them was clear
from the start until the end.

This focus was riddled with insults
that made the player lose his composure.

PERSONAE NON GRATAE

I feel pretty sad. It's the first time
I've heard insults in my home,

and I think that the person to blame
for this is Mr. Del Nido

for not telling the truth
about my transfer

and, honestly, I have nothing else to say.

I know very well what Sevilla is like,
what it feels to be a Sevilla supporter.

I have experienced it
since I was a little kid.

The information was manipulated,
the supporters were lied to,

and that led to them treating me
and thinking of me in a very hurtful way.

It was painful not only for me,
but also for my family.

I will never forgive them for the pain
that my grandparents and my parents felt.

To this day, they still can't set foot
in the stadium of Sevilla, and I...

I get emotional because I've been
to that stadium since I was little

and people might have a different opinion,

but my grandparents can't live anymore.

And you cannot change those things,
you can't turn back or pause time.

That is my biggest pain,

and maybe that's why
I behaved the way I did

whenever I scored a goal
in the stadium of Sevilla,

with anger, with rage,
because of what my family suffered.

Sergio Ramos is ready.
The crowd is booing.

He shoots with his right foot...
Goal, goal, goal!

Sergio Ramos celebrates quite

serenely, one could say.
This is a very special stage for him.

I would make the same decision,
but I'll never let anyone tell my story.

I can say that I'm a Sevilla supporter
and I will be until I die,

but I also have to proudly shout
to the world that I am the captain

of Real Madrid
and of the Spanish national team.

For me, this is the best day of my life,

since I was little I dreamed of this day
and until you feel it, you don't know

and you can't express everything you feel.

RAÚL GONZALEZ
FORMER TEAMMATE AT REAL MADRID

I have a very fond memory of him
because Sergio always caught my attention,

since I saw him play
with the under-21 team.

I saw this blond kid with long hair

who had a lot of strength,
quality and influence.

He has strong ties to his home,
to Camas, to Seville, to his family.

IKER CASILLAS
FORMER TEAMMATE AT REAL MADRID

And when he came to Madrid,
he found a totally different city.

And a really big club, too.

What we always did was help him,
make his life a lot easier...

ROBERTO CARLOS
FORMER TEAMMATE AT REAL MADRID

...and he adapted really quickly.
And Sergio is my brother.

And I think that he was one of the...

Well, one of the best signings in history.

The year is 2020, almost 15 years later,

so just imagine how important Sergio is.

MARCH 8, 2020
DAY OF THE GAME

Passes it to Modric. The ball hasn't
gone out, according to the referee.

Casemiro sends a long pass,
it's a great pass for Marcelo.

Marcelo has enough time,
Marcelo sends it in, Ramos is there. Wide.

Green and white. Nabil Fekir gets
the ball, he can shoot. Fekir shoots!

It looked like there was a clearance.

This one's dangerous.

That's a goal.
Goal, goal, goal, from Betis!

Goal!

Benzema has the chance to tie
for Real Madrid.

The French striker is going to shoot.
He shoots, and goal, goal, goal!

This time, Ramos didn't take it,
Benzema took it,

deceiving Joel and evening up the score.

Betis one, Real Madrid one.

Karim Benzema. The ball is in the middle.
That's dangerous!

That's dangerous because Tello
is now all alone. Tello, goal, goal!

Tello.

Goal!

Betis have won by two goals to one
at the Villamarín.

I think it's a pretty fair result.

We have to do some self-criticism,
we didn't play well today

and there are still many games ahead.

It sucks not to get...

FOUR MONTHS LATER

...any points to defend our lead.
We'll get the points, I hope they'll fail.

No one expected what was going to happen
after that game with the coronavirus.

No one thought that this was going to last
more than three months, the lockdown.

People thought, and I did, too,

that this would last a couple of weeks
and everything would go back to normal.

We had no idea
that this was going to be so serious.