Sergio Ramos reportedly turned down a move to Premier League giants Manchester United after accepting a wage of around £60,000-a-week less at Sevilla.
Whoever said romance is dead in modern football?
Sergio Ramos could have earned a kings’ ransom in Saudi Arabia or in the Turkish Super Lig. According to The Sun, Manchester United also offered one of the most iconic footballers of the last ten years a one-year deal worth £73,000-a-week at Old Trafford.
But, after bringing an end to two underwhelming years at Paris Saint-Germain, Ramos could not ignore the nagging feeling of ‘unfinished business’.
The nature of his departure from his beloved Sevilla all the way back in 2005 always rankled with Ramos. And, after sealing his shock return to Andalusia, the legendary 37-year-old has the opportunity to make up for the ‘mistakes’ he made as a toothy, floppy-haired youngster nearly two decades ago.
Sergio Ramos turns down Manchester United
“It is a very special day. Coming home is always special,” an emotional Ramos tells Mundo Deportivo. “Thank you very much for the welcome. (I am) happy to return, and looking forward to joining as soon as possible.
“It was something that I had (in mind) for my grandfather, for my father. For Sevillismo. Many things have touched me a lot and I think it was time (to return).”
Sergio Ramos wages at Sevilla
According to Mundo Deportivo, Ramos will earn a mere £16,000-a-week at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. That is almost £60,000-a-week less than the four-time Champions League winner would have taken home at Old Trafford; Manchester United disappointed to miss out on a player who conquered the continent alongside Raphael Varane and Casemiro in the Spanish capital.
One can only wonder how Sunday’s eventual 3-1 defeat to Arsenal would have turned out for the Red Devils had Erik ten Hag been able to bring Ramos off the bench, instead resorting to Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans after Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof joined Varane on the treatment table.