With Raphael Varane getting to the end of his injury recovery and Pepe far from his best state of shape, there is no doubt that the leader in Real Madrid’s defence is Sergio Ramos. However, that was not the case one year ago, as September 18th will mark the date when Jose Mourinho punished Ramos by banishing him to the bench despite his good performances.
At the time, Los Blancos were passing through a delicate moment, since they have only got one victory in the first four games of La Liga, suffering two losses and one draw.
The last defeat against Sevilla was very painful for Madrid players. Especially because of Mourinho’s words after the match, criticising his players harshly and even declaring that, if it was allowed, he would have made seven substitutions.
These words didn’t please Ramos, who didn’t hesitate in answering in a press conference that the players were not the only ones to blame for Real’s disappointing start. “I always say that we are all to blame, from the first one to the last one. When we win, we all win, and when we lose, it’s the same”, he declared.
Mourinho didn’t like Ramos’ frankness and he left the Andalucian on the bench in the following clash: Real Madrid’s debut in the Champions League against Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos won 3-2 with a last minute goal. Ramos didn’t play a single minute.
In the next game, the Spanish international returned to the starting eleven, and he wouldn’t leave it for the rest of the season, despite that ‘punishment’ he received in Manchester City’s visit to Madrid.
