Sergio Ramos, Florentino Perez Argue in Front of Real Madrid Team After UCL Exit
March 7, 2019
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez reportedly branded the Spanish side "disgraceful" in the dressing room after their 4-1 defeat to Ajax on Wednesday and rowed with captain Sergio Ramos in front of the whole squad.
According to Manu Sainz of AS, the Real chief was waiting for the team after their UEFA Champions League humiliation to the Dutch side at the Santiago Bernabeu and proceeded to scold them for their "attitude during the game, their lack of dedication and excessive time off."
In response, Ramos reportedly slammed Perez and the Real board for not properly planning for the 2018-19 season and concluded: "Pay me up and I'll go."
Ramos, 32, was suspended for Real's humiliation on Tuesday after deliberately picking up a late yellow card in the Madrid side's 2-1 win in Amsterdam in the opening leg:
The centre-back was sorely missed as Real were lacking in defence and leadership against an inspired Ajax side.
The defeat saw Los Blancos exit the Champions League at the last-16 stage for the first time since 2010, and it ended their remarkable 1,012-day reign as European champions following their three title wins in a row:
It was the nadir of a miserable week in which back-to-back home defeats to Barcelona saw Real knocked out of the Copa del Rey and effectively the La Liga title race as well.
Real have nothing left to play for in 2018-19, and the cause of their miserable campaign seems obvious: They never adequately replaced Zinedine Zidane or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Zidane's successor, Julen Lopetegui, lasted only until October before being sacked, and Santiago Solari now looks to be on borrowed time:
Meanwhile, Real without Ronaldo are scoring significantly fewer goals than they did while he was at the club, which is hardly surprising given he netted 450 times in his nine seasons in Madrid:
A major rebuild is obviously needed at Real, and Sainz reported one of the options being considered is bringing back Jose Mourinho to helm the club.
That move could well spell the end of Ramos' career at the Bernabeu, as he and the Portuguese manager did not get on well when Mourinho was previously in charge from 2010 to 2013.