Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelloti, has expressed high admiration for Sergio Ramos, saying he owes his job at Real Madrid to him.
Speaking ahead of the much-anticipated Sevilla clash on Saturday, the Italian gaffer said he was looking forward to saying hello to the Spaniard legend who now plies his trade at Sevilla.
Ramos was pivotal to Real Madrid’s accumulation of several trophies in the last decade, scoring one of the most important goals of the club in 2016 – a late header that canceled out Atletico Madrid’s lone goal in the UEFA Champions League final.
The Los Blancos would go ahead to win the tie on penalties; with Ancelloti the manager in charge.
“I’d love to see [Ramos] and say hello,” Ancelotti said in a news conference on Friday. “I have affection for all the players I’ve had, but above all I have special affection for him.
“If I’m here today it’s because of Sergio Ramos. If he hadn’t scored the goal in the [Champions League] final, I probably wouldn’t be here. For that, and for everything he did for this club, everybody has a lot of affection for him… He’ll play well for sure. Let’s hope he doesn’t score but if he does, he can [celebrate] however he wants.”
The former Madrid and Spain captain left the Spanish capital to play at Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021.
He, however, left the club and returned to boyhood club Sevilla last month as a free agent and will now face his former club tomorrow.
Ancelotti came back to manage Real Madrid in 2021, achieving a remarkable double in his first season back with victories in LaLiga and the Champions League.
However, his future has been subject to rumors, including potential ties to the Brazil national team coaching role, following a season in which he failed to secure both the Spanish league and Champions league.
Real Madrid are now unbeaten in their past four matches and they play Barcelona next in the league.
