It took seven months that included a total of five games in all competitions, but yesterday Leonardo, PSG's professional manager, admitted what had been known to everyone for some time: "Sergio Ramos' signing is not going as planned."
The Brazilian said in an interview with Lakip, adding: "He came here qualified but only managed to play five games. I am not afraid to take responsibility for mistakes I made when I make them. The fact that he can not play prevents him from being a leader, but this season not yet. It ended and only at the end will we draw conclusions. "
The conclusions, and this is also clear to Leonardo, can be drawn right now.
The signing of the 35-year-old Spanish stopper on a two-season contract was a very big bet that exploded in the face of PSG or as Leonardo put it - a mistake.
After all, last season, when he was still at Real, Ramos was injured and played only two league games in 2021.
Sergio Ramos.
Sitting too much in the stands, Photo: AFP
When asked to select the Euro 2020 squad for the summer of that year, Spain coach Luis Enrique explained that "Ramos has not been able to play regularly this season and is having a hard time training with his team-mates," leaving him out of the squad.
The national coach added;
"It's a tough decision, but I really think Ramos needs to be selfish now and rehabilitate himself in order to get back to playing for the team and the national team."
The brake's response came on Instagram;
"I fought and worked on body and mind every day to get back to being 100% for Real Madrid and Spain, but sometimes things don't work out the way they are planned."
What about the return?
All this information, which also included knee surgery in January, was known to Leonardo.
And yet, the professional manager brought the Spaniard to Paris on a € 6 million net salary contract for the season and last night even claimed he was fit when he arrived in the French capital.
Leonardo alongside the owner of PSG.
Admitting mistake,
In reality, what happened was different.
Ramos was unable to enter the season in his new team, and only on November 28 and in the 15th round made his debut.
Until that game it was a hamstring injury that prevented him from playing, and after four games that also included a red card within six minutes of entering the game against Lorraine, Ramos was injured once again, again in the hamstring muscle.
The Spanish stopper was supposed to be one of the leaders of the French runner-up, especially in the big and important games, but has yet to record even one minute in the Champions League.
He missed the first game of the Champions League quarter-final against ex-Real Madrid, and chances are very slim that he will be eligible for a rematch at the Santiago Bernabeu in the middle of the week.
To sum up - so far his contribution at PSG amounts to five games in all competitions, about 300 minutes, and one goal.
There is a future?
The Spaniard's many absences have at one point spawned speculation about an impending retirement.
An investigation into the medical condition of the brakeman was recently published in La Parisienne with the headline "Injuries - Is this the end of Ramos?".
The article interviews Jean-Marcel Pera, a former French national team doctor, and explains that Ramos suffers from a chronic injury to the twin muscles that were eroded from a 19-year career at the highest levels.
"This is the most serious injury because it is impossible to predict when it will return and to what extent," the doctor explained.
Ramos.
Will he return to the pitches or retire ?, Photo: AFP
Between the lines is also an article criticizing the conduct of Ramos, who instead of resting and rehabilitating his muscles, used to fly to Madrid frequently to take care of the launch of the gyms he owned.
Who came out in defense of the brake was his brother and agent, Rene Ramos, who promised;
"He really does not intend to retire or break a contract. There is no problem with him other than the physical problem, he will play when he can."
The thing is, time passes and it's hard to see on the horizon when Ramos returns to play.
He was on the roster for the last time in January, and the team manages quite well without him and leads the table by a large margin from those who follow it.
Seven months after arriving with great anticipation to open a new chapter in his glorious career, Ramos became a dim memory of the great brake he was.
On Saturday, he will no longer be on the roster when PSG play against Nice, and according to Leonardo, it seems that the day is near when he will not be in Paris at all.
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