Paris Saint Germain (PSG) star Sergio Ramos announced his retirement on Thursday from international football after appearing in 180 matches for his national side Spain.

36-year-old Ramos has won three major international trophies – one FIFA World Cup and two UEFA Euro trophies – while playing for the Spanish national team.

Ramos published a letter in which he confirmed that after speaking to the current head coach of Spain Cuis de la Fuente on call in the morning, the time has come to say goodbye to the Spanish national side as he is no longer in the plans of his national team.

Ramos played his last international match for Spain in March 2021 against Kosovo coming as a substitute.

“The time has come. Time for me to say goodbye to the Spain national team. To La Roja. This morning, I received a call from the current Head Coach who informed me that I am not and will not be part of his plans, regardless of how I perform or what I do in my career,” Ramos wrote in his letter.

After Ramos suffered an injury, former Spain coach Luis Enrique dropped him for the European Championships in 2021 and didn’t pick him again during his tenure, which ended after Spain were knocked out of the 2022 World Cup finals, a report said.

There were rumours that de la Fuente would again pick Ramos. However, he only prefers to work with younger players and is not interested in a footballer, who will be turning 37 on March 30 next month.

“With a heavy heart, it’s the end of a road that I hoped would stretch out further and which would end with a better taste in my mouth, on a par with all the success we achieved with La Roja.

“I honestly believed that this journey deserved to end at my own choosing or because my performances were not at a level worthy of our national team. Not due to a question of age or other reasons that, although I have not heard them directly, I have certainly felt. Because age in itself is not a virtue or a defect; it’s just a number that is not necessarily related to performance or ability,” he added.

Ramos also wrote in his statement that he admires and envies players like Messi, Modric, Pepe because of their values and merit. However, he expressed his disappointment that football doesn’t always remain football and sometimes there are things which are beyond the control of a player, which the player has to accept.

He also thanked all of his fans for their support and for believing in him. He reflected on all the memories he has as a player while fighting for the titles for his country. Ramos said that he will continue to back his national team with the same passion and he is proud that he has represented his country for 180 times, which is the most by any Spanish player.

“I admire and envy players like Modric, Messi and Pepe. They are the essence of tradition, values, meritocracy and justice in football. Unfortunately, it won’t be like that for me because football isn’t always fair and football is never just football.

“This is something I have to accept, albeit with this sadness I share with you but also with my head held high, and thankful for all these years and for your support. I come away with unforgettable memories, all the titles we’ve fought for and celebrated together and the tremendous pride I feel as the most capped Spanish international of all time.

“This badge, this shirt and these fans, all of you, have made me happy. I’ll continue to support my country with the passion of someone lucky enough to proudly represent it 180 times. My heartfelt thanks to all of you who believed in me!,” he concluded.

Ramos scored 23 goals as a defender and provided eight assists in his international career, which began in March 2005 as an 18-year-old. He also holds the record for appearing in the most number of matches (180) for the Spanish football team.

However, Ramos will continue to play for PSG until the end of the season along with the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe.

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