El Confidencial, the Spanish whistleblowing portal, has revealed the shocking details of Sergio Ramos’ voice notes to Spanish Football head Luis Rubiales, when the defender was still at Real Madrid. Ramos is heard requesting Rubiales to use his connections and help him win Ballon d’Or in 2019.
El Confidencial will release audio recordings on Friday, but has already put out the excerpts from the recordings in the public domain. Ramos talked about his ‘special performance’ that helped Real Madrid clinch the La Liga title in the pandemic-hit 2019-20 season.
Real Madrid saw a tough fight from FC Barcelona, but they ended up winning the next ten games, once football resumed after the pandemic break, to win the title. Admittedly, Ramos played a crucial role that season, where he not only formed a formidable defensive pair with Eder Militao but also scored many crucial goals.
What did Ramos Say To Rubiales?
Ramos started his conversation by reminding Rubiales about his performance, stating both he and Spanish football deserve this award. “I would be grateful to you all my life. Not only for me, but also because I think that Spanish football deserves it very much, I send you a hug,” said Ramos.
“I would like you to help me as much as you can and touch some keys from UEFA and your contacts for the Ballon d’Or,” he added.
Ramos was still the captain of Spain and enjoyed great rapport with senior figures of the football association. Rubiales responded in affirmative but cautioned he has little say in the Ballon d’Or awards.
“I think it’s a good year for you to get it. I hope you have a magnificent final in the Champions League. Of course it’s not up to me about the Ballon d’Or, but if I can help you, you can count on it,” Rubiales said.
Had Ramos won the Ballon d’Or, he would have become only the second defender since Fabio Cannavaro to get football’s highest accolade. But many felt Robert Lewandowski had a more remarkable season, and was the leading contender for this award. In the end, neither could win as the awards were cancelled due to coronavirus.
Featured Image Credit: Football Espana
