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Sergio Ramos García (born 30 March 1986 in Camas, Seville Province in Andalusia) is a Spanish footballer who currently plays for Real Madrid and for the Spanish national team. Ramos plays as a right back, but can also play as a central defender and a left back. He is known for his runs on the right flank, crosses and vigorous defending, also contributing with a fair share of goals from his position. At Real Madrid, Ramos was awarded the number 4 shirt, previously occupied by team captain Fernando Hierro. He scored his first goal for the Madrid side on 6 December 2005 in a UEFA Champions League defeat at Olympiacos, a game which Real Madrid eventually lost 3–2. During his first seasons, Ramos played as centre-back, being also used as an emergency defensive midfielder on occasion. However, with the arrival of Christoph Metzelder and Pepe in the 2007–08 season, he was again relocated to right back. Ramos also displayed a goal-scoring instinct unusual to many defenders, netting more than 20 overall goals in Los Blancos shirt during his first four seasons. In an interview with Grada Blanca, he revealed that he used to play as a striker when he was younger, eventually switching to the back four. On 4 May 2008, Ramos assisted Gonzalo Higuaín in the 89th minute against CA Osasuna in an eventual 2–1 away win, the match that sealed Real Madrid's 31st league championship. On the final day of the season, Ramos scored twice in a 5–2 home win against already relegated Levante UD, one in a header and another after a brave effort, taking his league tally to five. In the start of the following campaign, he scored the vital goal in the Spanish Supercup contest against Valencia CF, to make it 2–1 to and 4–4 on aggregate, in an eventual 4–2 win (6–5), despite playing largely with only nine men. On 11 January 2009, Ramos scored on an acrobatic volley against RCD Mallorca (3–0 away triumph), continuing his scoring run in the following week, in a 3–1 home win against Osasuna. Ramos was named in both FIFA and UEFA's 2008 Team of the Year, adding the FIFPro Team of the Year 2007–08 accolade. He also finished 21st in the European Player of the Year nomination for 2008. At the beginning of the 2008-09, Ramos experienced a slight dip in form but returned to his best, scoring 5 goals in all competitions that season. On November 7th 2009, Ramos played against Real Madrid's local rivals Atletico Madrid. He was sent off in the game, making him the most sent-off player in La Liga at only 23 years old. |
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