Real Madrid Boss Santiago Solari Hails 'Tremendously Competitive' Sergio Ramos

Real Madrid boss Santiago Solari has hailed captain Sergio Ramos ahead of his 600th game for the club on Wednesday. 

Los Blancos take on Ajax in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 at the Amsterdam Arena, and Solari took the opportunity to pay tribute to Ramos.

Per Marca's Santiago Siguero, Solari said: "He has a wonderful character, and he is tremendously competitive, that's why he has played so many games. Madrid have the stamp of his character, and I hope we can enjoy him in as many games as possible."

Only six players have made more appearances for Madrid than Ramos, who will move one behind Francisco Gento and Fernando Hierro with his outing against Ajax.

On Saturday, Ramos scored a penalty in a 3-1 win over bitter rivals Atletico Madrid, and it was not the first time he has come to haunt them:

The 32-year-old scored against Los Rojiblancos in both the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals to help Real win.

Following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, Ramos has become Los Blancos' designated penalty-taker, and he has taken on the new responsibility with aplomb:

Real are bidding to win the Champions League for the fourth year running this season.

Solari—who also reserved praise for vice-captain Marcelo—wants them to perform well when their knockout campaign begins on Wednesday, per the Evening Standard's Ben Hayward:

"I don't think Ajax are going through a bad period, as they are having a good season and they have very good players," the Argentinian added.

Ajax are second in the Eredivisie, but their form has been up and down of late.

They bounced back from a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Feyenoord with a 6-0 thrashing of VVV-Venlo, but then lost 1-0 to Heracles in their last outing.

The likes of Frenkie de Jong—who will join Barcelona in the summer—and Matthijs de Ligt will be eager to showcase their abilities and take a positive result with them to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg.

Real have a tendency to raise their games for European knockout matches, though, and if they reach the standard they're capable of there will only be one winner over the two legs.