Ramos: "The critics? We need to have broad shoulders"

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos spoke to Spanish radio show El Larguero 24 hours after his side’s defeat in the Clásico. He spoke to host José Ramón de la Morena about the loss, the criticism of the fans and the unfortunate incident at Valdebebas.

Would you put anyone in focus? Iker, Ramos, Ancelotti, Bale?: “I respect everyone. I have lived with criticism and that has made me stronger and made me keep on improving. Whether or not the current favours Mourinho, I don’t care who the critic is.”

But why the focus?: “We are there because we are the biggest representatives of the team. The captains. They need faces who they can blame but we need to have broad shoulders. We need to let people see that when we go through difficult periods we repond.”

Contract renewal: “I went to talk about it one day. I have not called the club to ask for a renewal. I have two years left on my current deal, I am very happy and I have not made a call for a new deal. They are not rushing because I do not see myself in a shirt other than that of Real Madrid. I want to give me best for it.”

Did Madrid play well at Barça?: “A defeat is always bad but you can take some good things out of it. On Sunday we lost but we left with our heads held high because we played some good football. From memory, the first half was a great one. We couldn’t kill the game and it was costly at the end. When they scored the second goal we were not the same.”

The treatment of Cristiano after his party. Did it bother you?: “It didn’t bother me. I’ve been here ten years and whatever you do as part of this team has universal impact. I have a very clear conscience. I try to learn from any mistakes.”

Do you read the papers?: “Not much. Sometimes I read El País and El Mundo, Marca and AS to know the opinions of some of your colleagues. It doesn’t have an impact on me though. I don’t get bogged down by criticism or get big-headed with praise. It is impossible to please everyone. We are exposed to opinions as professionals and we must respect them sometimes.”

The dressing room: “The was a bit of silence because you know that you’ve left everything out there on the pitch and it was a blow to lose, it was a time to be quiet.”

What did Ancelotti say?: “The season is long and the important thing is how it ends. As I said the other night, I have seen titles won when the difference has been greater.”

What did you say to Florentino?: “Ask him, I’m sure he says he’s your friend.”

How was the trip on the plane after the defeat?: “I always go with Iker. We always talk about the game. We look at everything in a balanced way and we try to analyse things. I am the first and Iker is the same. We didn’t discuss anything specific. If there are two guys always encouraging the rest it is me and Iker because we are the captains.

The incident at Valdebebas: “We saw two or three fans at the gate. We saw what they wee doing. We went after Jesé. Apparently that had a few pints. They caught me behind Jesé and I started to hoot at Jesé so he didn’t stop, not to heat things up because I know him. I asked them what the problem was and I said that it wasn’t justified.”

Is the Bernabéu being too demanding?: “I’ll speak for myself. The level of demand from this institution, the public has always been critical when we have not been at the level that we should be. There are players who have expressed their discomfort at this because they have not noticed the love but when your fans demand more it is because they think you can give more. You have to live with it. They must be respected whether you like it or not. Their love is very important.”

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