Sergio Ramos signs new deal at Madrid

Sean Taylor

August 17, 2015

Sergio Ramos says he never wanted to leave Real Madrid, despite interest from Manchester United.
The 29-year-old Spain defender signed a new five-year deal on Monday to keep him at the Bernabeu until 2020.
The Red Devils had a £28.6m bid for the World Cup winner rejected in June as contract talks stalled.
“I know this renewal has taken a while but my heart and head have always been with Real Madrid so I couldn’t be happier,” said Ramos.
United are now unlikely to sign a new defender before the transfer window closes, while goalkeeper David De Gea, a Real target, is expected to stay.
The Old Trafford club have insisted they will only sell the 24-year-old Spain international to the La Liga side for a world-record fee for a goalkeeper, or if Ramos is part of a deal.
The current transfer window closes on 1 September.
Ramos, who scored an injury-time equaliser as Real beat city rivals Atletico Madrid in the 2014 Champions League final, has been made club captain by new manager Rafael Benitez after goalkeeper Iker Casillas left for Porto.
Sitting next to Real president Florentino Perez at a news conference to announce the deal, Ramos said:”My idea was to always be here and I always wanted to retire here if the president would allow it.
“I’m thankful I have a new challenge to be the captain of this team. The priority is always Real Madrid, keeping our fans happy and winning titles.”
He added: “There is nothing like this institution. My own happiness is the priority, in the end that was fundamental.”
Ramos is now the longest-serving player at the Bernabeu after signing from La Liga rivals Sevilla in 2005.
He has 128 caps for Spain, winning two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup.

Manchester United went for Ramos hard this summer, with the central defender unsettled and at times it seemed as if he was on the verge of walking out on Real. But with new manager Rafael Benitez making it clear multiple times that Ramos would stay and making him the club captain, conspiracy theorists speculated that Ramos and his agent (his brother, Rene) were trying to get a lucrative new deal at Real rather than seriously considering a move to the Premier League with United.

In the end, that’s exactly what has happened. One of the finest defenders of his generation who also weighs in with plenty of goals from set piece situations — he has scored 58 goals in 494 career appearances — Ramos’ importance to a Real backline that lost Iker Casillas over the summer cannot be underestimated.