For a player that has managed to be around and active in the terrains of professional football, have an amazing run with both club and country, Sergio Ramos has time and again betrayed the elder statesman status he ought to be living at this time and age of his career.
The Andalusian is a fine player no doubt and an intelligent one even given how he seamlessly transitioned from being a right back to a center back. However, the thing with professional football is that you may play over 50 matches a season but the tiny bits of edge-of-the-cliff moments most times define a whole season or tournament.
A missed tackle, split second of poor positioning, lack of absolute concentration, all do most of the damages encountered in crucial matches. That is where Ramos falls short. It is not as if that characteristic is all that matters, rather, it has to do with the fact that as players get old, self control becomes their ultimate fort and while the teenagers allow their emotions to get the better of them, the veterans prove to handle anything that comes their way with better judgments.
That is not Ramos. Even Raphael Varane, the one that should be looking up to him is more matured in his conducts on the field.
Ramos’s indiscipline has seen Los Blancos suffer especially against Barca but last Saturday’s final against Juve could have gotten worse.His 31st minute yellow card, a needless one by the way, and his subsequent fouls would have made the Galaticos’ plan difficult. Luckily for him he got out and even transferred it to the poor lad of the night Cuadrado.
Still, Ramos cannot continue this way. At 31 years old making the resolution to grow up is not that bad nor should it be so hard.