True Legend: Ramos Played The Athletic Match Despite Being Hospitalised 48 Hours Before
Mar 19, 2017 at 11:36 AM
Commitment and character sum up Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos and did so once again on Saturday against Athletic Club.
Ramos played the full 90 minutes of this afternoon’s 1-2 win over Athletic Club in Bilbao. Yet just 48 hours before the game, the Real Madrid skipper had been hooked up to a drip, being intravenously administered saline solution in Madrid’s Sanitas-La Moraleja clinic in an attempt to ease a severe bout of gastroenteritis.
The gastroenteritis had prevented Ramos from training for most of the last week and he was all but ruled out of the trip to San Mamés. On Thursday night the defender was admitted to the Sanitas-La Moraleja clinic for treatment. As Madrid were already without Pepe and Varane for the game, Ramos decided he was able enough to take to the pitch even though he hadn’t eaten anything all day.
It isn’t the first time that Ramos has shown such commitment for Real either. Last season, he played many games with a debilitating shoulder problem that he struggled to even move on occasion but his willingness to assist the team was above any pain he felt.
Although he didn’t have many opportunities to add to his goalscoring tally this season, Ramos played a vital role at the back in Bilbao to steer his side to an important victory.
The goal-scoring exploits of Ramos have recently overshadowed the Real Madrid captain’s defensive frailties.
Since his injury-time equaliser against Atletico Madrid in the 2014 Champions League final – which Real went on to win 4-1 in extra time – the Spaniard has scored 22 goals, with 19 of those coming when his side are level or losing.
In contrast, the Spanish press have picked up on the fact that Real have conceded 23 goals in the 18 league matches that Ramos has started this season, while they have let in just four goals in the eight games he has missed.