Spain’s national soccer player and club icon Sergio Ramos is leaving Real Madrid after 16 years.
The 35-year-old defense chief, who was not nominated by national coach Luis Enrique for the current European Championship, could not agree with Los Blancos on an extension of his contract, which expired on June 30th.
Real announced on Wednesday evening that Ramos will be bid farewell this Thursday at 12.30 p.m. at a digital press conference in the presence of club president Florentino Pérez.
According to media reports, Real is said to have offered the defense chief a one-year contract with ten percent less salary, but Ramos allegedly wanted a new contract for at least two years.
Ramos has recently suffered from injuries and was no longer one of the first choices at Real Madrid.
For the Spanish national team, with which Ramos was European champion in 2008 and 2012 and world champion in 2010, he played 180 international matches.
He could have caught up with the international record (184) of the Egyptian Ahmed Hassan at the EM.
The tough defender won a total of 22 titles with Real, including four times the Champions League, five Spanish championships and four times the FIFA Club World Cup.