Sergio Ramos, 36, given hope of dream World Cup return as he ‘appears on 55-man Spain list’ after 20-month exile
SERGIO RAMOS’ dreams of playing at another World Cup were given a boost after he was reportedly named in Spain’s initial 55-man list.
The Paris Saint-Germain defender, 36, has been in exile from the national team for the last 20 months.
But according to Sport in Spain, his name will be on the long set of names submitted by Luis Enrique to Fifa on Friday.
However, AS suggest it is still unlikely the 180-cap centre-back will make the cut into the final 26 players on the plane to Qatar 2022.
Out-of-favour attackers Ansu Fati, Sergio Ramos, Iago Aspas and Gerard Moreno are also said to be in the 55.
Managers must make their decisions on the final squad by November 13.
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Ramos has a record 180 caps for Spain, making his debut way back in 2005.
However, he was not selected for Euro 2020 after an injury-plagued season, ending a run of ten consecutive major tournament appearances which included winning Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.
And now the fiery defender finds himself behind the likes of Eric Garcia, Pau Torres and Aymeric Laporte in the pecking order.
Ramos’ last international match was a 3-1 win over Kosovo in World Cup qualifying in March 2021.
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Last year, he left Real Madrid after 16 years and joined PSG, but made just 12 appearances in his debut season in France.
It has been a mixed campaign this time around – he scored a stunning backheel goal against Nantes but then picked up the 28th red card of his career, getting booked twice inside ten crazy seconds.
Spain start their Group E campaign against Costa Rica on November 23 – then face Germany and Japan.
