Sergio Ramos

Sergio Ramos García (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈseɾxjo ˈramos ɣaɾˈθi.a]; born 30 March 1986) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back. Widely regarded as one of the greatest centre-backs of all time, he is known for his aerial abilities, physicality, leadership, and goalscoring abilities, having scored more than 100 goals for Real Madrid. In addition, he is one of the few players to have made over 1,000 career appearances.

Born in Camas in the Spanish province of Seville, Ramos played in Sevilla's youth academy and spent two seasons with the senior team, before moving to Real Madrid in the summer of 2005. He went on to become a mainstay for the club, winning 22 major honours, including five La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles. He was vital to all of the Champions League winning campaigns, as he was named in the competition's Team of the Season each time. Out of contract with Real Madrid, he signed for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain in July 2021, spending two seasons at the club and winning Ligue 1 twice, before returning to Sevilla for one season. After leaving Sevilla, Ramos joined Liga MX side Monterrey, where he captained the team and played in the inaugural edition of the expanded FIFA Club World Cup.

Internationally, Ramos represented Spain from 2005 to 2021, playing at four FIFA World Cups (winning the 2010 edition) and three UEFA European Championships (winning titles in 2008 and 2012). With 180 caps earned across sixteen years, he is the nation's record appearance holder.

Born in Camas, province of Seville, Andalusia, Ramos started playing at Camas CF by age six, then he began his career at local side Sevilla, emerging through the club's youth system alongside Jesús Navas and Antonio Puerta. He made his first-team and La Liga debut on 1 February 2004, coming on as a 64th-minute substitute for Paco Gallardo in a 0–1 away loss against Deportivo La Coruña.

In the 2004–05 season, Ramos appeared in 41 games as Sevilla finished sixth and qualified to the 2005–06 UEFA Cup, scoring in home fixtures against Real Sociedad (2–1) and Real Madrid (2–2). In the 2004–05 UEFA Cup, he scored his first continental goal, heading to conclude a 2–0 win over Nacional at the Ramon Sánchez Pizjuán in the first round (4–1 aggregate).

In the summer of 2005, Ramos was purchased by Real Madrid for €27 million, a record for a Spanish defender. He was the only Spanish player brought in during Florentino Pérez's first stint as Real Madrid’s president.

At the club, Ramos was assigned the number 4 shirt, previously worn by Fernando Hierro. On 6 December 2005 he netted his first goal for the Meringues, in a 2–1 UEFA Champions League group stage loss at Olympiacos.

During his first seasons, Ramos played as centre back, being also used as an emergency defensive midfielder on occasion. However, with the arrival of Christoph Metzelder and Pepe in the 2007–08 season, he was again relocated to right back. In his first four seasons at Real Madrid, Ramos displayed a goalscoring instinct unusual to many defenders, netting more than 20 goals overall. He also received the first nine of his 24 red cards for the club, including four in his debut season. His first red card came after two bookable offences in a 1–0 away loss to Espanyol on 18 September 2005.

During the 2006–07 season, Ramos scored five goals, including one in a 3–3 El Clásico draw with Barcelona, as Real Madrid won a record 30th league title.

On 4 May 2008, he assisted Gonzalo Higuaín in the 89th minute against Osasuna in an eventual 2–1 away win, the match that sealed the club's 31st league championship. On the final day of the season, he scored twice in a 5–2 home win against already relegated Levante: one through a header, and another an individual effort; these goals taking his league tally for the 2007–08 season to five.

At the start of the 2009–10 season, Ramos was appointed as one of Real Madrid's four captains. Because Pepe had suffered a serious knee injury during this campaign, Ramos was often deployed as central defender. He scored four goals in 33 league matches; and, on 21 February 2010 he played his 200th official match for Los Blancos against Villarreal (150 in the first division). Despite these personal highlights, Real Madrid finished the campaign without picking up any silverware.

In Real Madrid's 5–0 loss at Barcelona on 29 November 2010, Ramos was sent off after kicking Lionel Messi from behind, then pushing Carles Puyol in the ensuing melée. After this ejection, he equalled Fernando Hierro's previous record of ten red cards at the club, despite having played in 264 fewer games. On 20 April 2011, Ramos started in the season's Copa del Rey final, a 1–0 win against Barcelona in Valencia. In the subsequent victory procession, while celebrating on the top of the club's bus, he accidentally lost hold of the cup, which fell under the wheels of the vehicle; the trophy was dented as a result.

On 12 July 2011, Ramos extended his contract with Real Madrid until 2017. The following 25 April, in the Champions League semi-finals' second leg against Bayern Munich, he missed his penalty shootout attempt as Real Madrid lost 3–1; the league campaign ended with them winning, with a record 100 points, after a four-year wait and he was the player with most balls recovered in his team, third overall.

On 9 January 2013, Ramos was sent off for a second bookable offense midway through the second half of an eventual 4–0 home win over Celta Vigo in the 2012–13 Copa del Rey. He subsequently received a four-match suspension, after it was revealed he also insulted referee Miguel Ángel Ayza Gámez. The following month, mere minutes after scoring the second goal at home against Rayo Vallecano and less than 20 minutes into the first half, he received two yellow cards within one minute in the eventual 2–0 home success, taking his red card tally with Real Madrid alone to 16; and 12 in the league.

In late February/early March 2013, due to the absence of Iker Casillas due to injury, Ramos captained Real to back-to-back wins over Barcelona in just four days: he netted the 2–1 home winner in the second game, heading home after a corner kick.

On 14 December 2013, Ramos received a club record 18th red card for Real Madrid in a 2–2 draw at Osasuna, but the suspension was later lifted.

His 19th red card came in a 4–3 home defeat to Barcelona, on 23 March 2014. On 26 April, Ramos scored a header against Osasuna in La Liga at the Bernabéu, in a counter-attack which he began with a strong tackle. It was his first goal in La Liga in six months, since his volley against Levante on match-day 8. On 29 April 2014, Ramos scored two headers in four minutes in a 4–0 away win against Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League, with the tie ending with a 5–0 aggregate score and Madrid's qualification to the final for the first time in twelve years. Ramos's brace against Bayern (4 minutes) was the fastest brace in UEFA Champions League semi-final history at the time.

On 4 May, Ramos scored in the 2–2 draw with Valencia at home in La Liga with another header, scoring in back-to-back league games. Three days later, Ramos scored his first free-kick for a 1–1 draw away to Valladolid, having scored in three consecutive La Liga matches and scoring four consecutive matches for Real Madrid for the first time. On 24 May, in the Champions League final against Atlético Madrid, he headed home in the 93rd minute to tie the game 1–1, and Real Madrid went on to win 4–1 in extra-time to claim 'La Decima', their tenth trophy in the competition; he was also chosen by fans as Man of the match. Ramos ended 2013–14 with 7 goals, which made it his highest scoring season for Real Madrid at the time.

Ramos started 2014–15 season on 12 August 2014 by playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 win against Sevilla to win their first trophy of the season, the UEFA Super Cup. He then played the two-legged Supercopa de España final against Atlético Madrid with Los Blancos losing 2–1 on aggregate. Ramos scored his first goal of the season on 31 August in week two of La Liga, a header in a 4–2 away loss against Real Sociedad. Ramos scored his 50th Real Madrid goal which came off his knee on 8 November against Rayo Vallecano at the Bernabéu in La Liga as Real Madrid won 5–1.

He scored in both the semi-final and the final of the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup and was voted the Player of the Match in both as Real Madrid won the tournament in Morocco. Ramos was also voted the player of the tournament, winning the Golden Ball.

Ramos agreed a new five-year contract with Real Madrid in August 2015, tying him to the club until 2020. He was also made captain after the transfer of Casillas to Porto. On 8 November, Ramos scored his first goal of the season away to Sevilla. In scoring with an overhead kick he was forced to be substituted due to landing on his injured left shoulder.

On 20 December 2015, Ramos captained Madrid to a 10–2 victory over Rayo Vallecano, the club's highest scoring La Liga victory in 55 years. The following 13 March, he received his 20th red card for Real Madrid in a 2–1 win over Las Palmas, having earlier scored the game's opening goal with a header from an Isco corner kick. On 2 April 2016, he returned from suspension in a 2–1 victory against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, where he was again sent off, receiving his 21st red card and fourth in a Clásico fixture.

Real Madrid reached the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final, where they faced Atlético Madrid. Ramos once again scored in a final, putting Real ahead in the first half. At the time, he was just the fifth player to score in two different Champions League Finals after Raúl, Samuel Eto'o, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. After a second-half equalizer from Atlético, he then scored a penalty in the shoot-out which resulted in Real Madrid winning 5–3; thus, he lifted his first UEFA Champions League trophy as a captain. According to author Michael Cox, he also notably "tipped the balance of the game toward Real Madrid" by tripping Yannick Carrasco up and stopping a three-on-one counter in stoppage time, with 30 seconds remaining and the score 1–1. He was named man of the match by UEFA after the game. By winning the final, Real Madrid earned the right to play against the winners of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, Sevilla, in the 2016 UEFA Super Cup. Ramos ended the 2015–16 season with three goals in 33 games which was his lowest goal tally and the fewest matches he played in any season at Real Madrid till then, due to ongoing injuries.

On 27 September 2020, Ramos opened his goal count for the season after netting the winning goal against Real Betis from the penalty spot at Benito Villamarín in a 3–2 league win. One month later on 24 October in El Clasico, Ramos earned and converted a penalty at the Camp Nou in a 3–1 league win – this was his 25th consecutive penalty goal for both club and country (including shoot-outs). Ramos's fifth El Clasico goal equaled the record of Ronald Koeman (who was in the other dugout as manager) as the defenders with the most goals in this historic fixture. This was also Ramos's 31st consecutive La Liga Clasico, meaning he has not missed one since joining Los Blancos in 2005 – equalling Raúl and Paco Gento as the players who played in the most league Clasicos. Three days later, Ramos played his first Champions League match of the season against Borussia Mönchengladbach, assisting Casemiro's 93rd minute equaliser in a 2–2 draw. This was Ramos's 16th Champions League campaign with Real Madrid, equalling the record of club legend, and former captain and teammate Iker Casillas. On 31 October, Ramos became just the tenth player to play 500 La Liga matches (461 for Real Madrid and 39 for Sevilla), as Madrid beat Huesca 4–1 at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium. On 3 November, Ramos scored his 100th goal for Real Madrid in all competitions, in a 3–2 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League.

On 14 January, Ramos reportedly took four pain killer injections to his left knee to play against Athletic Bilbao in the 2020–21 Supercopa de España semi-final which Real Madrid went on to lose 2–1. This was the last match Ramos would play before opting for a mid-season surgery for the first time in his career for a torn meniscus in his left knee. He was expected to be out for two months and to return in early April, but after a speedy recovery, Ramos started against Elche on 13 March – just over a month after he went under the knife. Real Madrid's 2–1 win over Elche was Ramos's 334th La Liga win (315 with Real Madrid and 19 with Sevilla), equalling the record of Iker Casillas as the players with second–most wins in the Spanish top flight – only behind Messi. Four days later, Ramos played in a Champions League round of 16-second leg for the first time in three years as Real Madrid went on to defeat Atalanta 3–1 at the Alfredo di Stefano (5–3 on aggregate) and qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time since their last Champions League winning campaign in 2018. Ramos scored his 19th consecutive penalty for Madrid in the 60th minute which killed the game, before coming off as a substitute. This was Ramos's 15th Champions League goal, equalling Gerard Piqué and former teammate Iván Helguera as the second highest scoring defenders in the history of the competition – with only former teammate Roberto Carlos ahead of them.

Due to an injury, Ramos missed his first El Clásico since joining Real Madrid, ending a streak of playing in 31 consecutive league Clásicos. He later missed the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Liverpool, as he tested positive for COVID-19, although he was also injured. On 5 May, in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Chelsea, his side lost 2–0 and were eliminated from the competition; however, he then sustained an injury in his left hamstring which forced him to miss the rest of the season; this meant he had played his last game for Real Madrid. Ramos played just 21 matches for Los Blancos in 2020–21, making it his most injury-riddled season, after having played at least 33 matches in each of his previous 15 campaigns at the club.

On 16 June, Real Madrid announced that Ramos would leave the club at the end of the season. During his farewell event on the next day, Ramos, who had initially asked for a two-year offer, mentioned that he accepted a one-year contract renewal with a salary reduction; however, the offer had expired without his knowledge.

On 8 July 2021, it was announced that Ramos had signed a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain. He chose to wear the number 4 jersey, with Thilo Kehrer switching to the number 24 shirt. Ramos remarked: "I am quite superstitious about it and I love the number 4 because I have worn that number since the start of my career and it has followed me throughout my career and my life, bringing with me much luck and many victories". During the medical examination required to complete the signing, the medical staff at PSG were reported to be impressed by his seriousness and physique, whilst the medical results were noted to be excellent and incredible. The staff compared Ramos's physique to that of a 25-year-old (he was 35 at the time).

Due to a series of injury problems, Ramos made his first appearance in a match day squad for Paris Saint-Germain ahead of a Champions League group stage game against Manchester City on 24 November 2021. He made his debut four days later in a 3–1 league victory over Saint-Étienne. On 23 January 2022, Sergio scored his debut goal for the club, helping PSG to beat Reims 4–0 in a home league match. Ramos won the 2021–22 Ligue 1 in his first season at the club.

PSG started the 2022–23 season by winning the 2022 Trophée des Champions in Tel Aviv, in which Ramos scored a goal in a 4–0 win over Nantes. On 6 September 2022, he made his Champions League debut with Paris Saint-Germain in a 2–1 win over Juventus. On 8 February 2023, in a 1-2 defeat against Marseille in the Coupe de France, he score a header to become at 36 years and 315 days PSG’s oldest goalscorer ever.

On 8 April 2023, he scored against Nice at 37 years and 9 days to become Paris Saint-Germain’s oldest Ligue 1 goalscorer.

On 2 June 2023, Ramos announced that he would be leaving PSG at the end of the season, following the expiration of his contract on 30 June. One day later, he opened the score in a 2–3 defeat against Clermont in his last appearance for the club as Paris Saint-Germain won their record 11th Ligue 1 title.

On 4 September 2023, Ramos returned to his boyhood club Sevilla after 18 years, signing a contract until the end of the season. On 17 September, he made his second debut for Sevilla in a 1–0 win over Las Palmas at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium. Three days later, he made his Champions League debut with Sevilla in a 1–1 draw against Lens. On 21 October, Ramos played against his former club Real Madrid for the first time since he left in 2021, in a La Liga match that ended in a 1–1 draw at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, helping secure a point from the match.

On 26 November, he was involved in a notable and bizarre incident during a match against Real Sociedad, in which he received two red cards. He was initially shown a red card after receiving a second yellow card for a late challenge on Brais Méndez. Following this, he appealed for a VAR review, prompting the referee to examine the slow-motion footage. After reviewing the footage, the referee rescinded the second yellow card, and immediately issued Ramos a straight red card.

On 29 November, he scored his first goal for Sevilla following his return in a 3–2 home defeat against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, equaling the record of most goals scored by defenders set by Roberto Carlos and Gerard Piqué, which also marked the 10,000th goal in the competition. On 12 December, he broke the record, by scoring his 17th goal with a Panenka-style penalty in a 2–1 away defeat against Lens.

On 25 February 2024, Ramos returned to the Santiago Bernabéu to play against Real Madrid, following his departure from the club in 2021, as his team suffered a 1–0 defeat. Later that year, on 17 June, Sevilla announced that Ramos would not stay at the club for the following season.

On 6 February 2025, Ramos was announced as a new player for Liga MX side Monterrey, after various days of speculation. Ramos chose to wear number 93 instead of his traditional number 4 to honor his 93rd-minute equaliser in the 2014 UEFA Champions League final for Real Madrid. Ramos was handed the captain's armband on his debut for the club against Atlético San Luis. On 3 March, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–2 victory over Santos Laguna.

On 17 March 2025, he was sent off for the 30th time in his career (first with Monterrey) after receiving a straight red card for kicking UNAM's striker Guillermo Martínez from behind after failing to steal the ball. Later that year, on 18 June, he scored the opening goal in a 1–1 draw against Inter Milan during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, being also named Man of the Match. In doing so at the age of 39 years and 80 days old, he became the oldest player in history to score in the Club World Cup, breaking the previous record set by Javier Zanetti in the 2010 edition at the age of 37. In December of that year, he announced his departure from the club following the conclusion of his contract, becoming a free agent.

In 2004, Ramos became an instant hit for Spain's under-19, for whom he played six international matches. During the 2004 U19 Euro, Ramos was a key figure for Spain as he started in four out of five of their matches on the way to winning their second U19 European Championship, including scoring a decisive penalty in the Semi-final penalty-shoot out against Ukraine. On 26 March 2005, in a 3–0 friendly win over China in Salamanca, he first appeared for the senior side at only 18 years and 361 days of age, making him the youngest player to play for the national team in the last 55 years. He held this record until 1 March 2006, when it was broken by Cesc Fàbregas in a friendly match against Ivory Coast.

On 12 October 2005, Ramos scored his first two international goals in a 6–0 away thrashing of San Marino for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He was selected for the final stages in Germany and, after the international retirement of Real Madrid teammate Míchel Salgado, became the undisputed first-choice right-back. Despite wearing the number 4 jersey for Real Madrid, Ramos admitted he wears the number 15 for Spain in memory of his close friend and former Sevilla teammate Puerta, who died in August 2007 and made his Spain debut wearing No. 15.

Throughout Spain's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, Ramos was a regular member of the starting eleven as the national side finished first in its group, above Sweden. He scored two goals, including one in a 3–1 away win over Denmark, in 11 appearances. In the tournament's final stages, Ramos played in all matches and minutes, except the 2–1 group stage win against Greece. In the final, his pass nearly set up Marcos Senna's first international goal, but the latter missed his opportunity by inches. During the celebrations after the 1–0 defeat of Germany, he wore a T-shirt in honour of his late friend Puerta.

Ramos was selected in the squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, as Spain finished in third. On 3 June 2010, he captained Spain for the first time, in a 1–0 friendly win over South Korea in Innsbruck, Austria.

At the 2010 World Cup, held in the same country, Ramos played every minute of the tournament as a right back, helping Spain keep five clean sheets and reach the final, which they won 1–0 against the Netherlands; he topped the tournament's Castrol Performance Index with a score of 9.79. Despite playing at right-back, he also completed more solo runs than any other player in the tournament, 31.

Ramos returned to the heart of the defence for Euro 2012. When asked about his role change, he replied: "I have adapted and feel comfortable in the middle, but I am a World and European champion at right-back". He played all the games in Poland and Ukraine alongside Barcelona's Gerard Piqué and, in the semi-finals against Portugal, he converted his penalty shootout attempt in an eventual 4–2 win (0–0 after 120 minutes), scoring for the eventual champions in Panenka-style. On 1 July, Ramos won his third trophy with the Spanish senior National Team as they thrashed Italy 4–0 in the final. Ramos's performances during the Euro earned him a place in the Team of The Tournament. Ramos wore another T-shirt during Spain's Euro 2012 celebrations to pay homage to his late friend Puerta.

On 22 March 2013, Ramos celebrated his 100th cap by opening the scoring in a 1–1 draw with Finland in Gijón for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. He became the youngest European player ever to reach that figure in the process, surpassing Germany's Lukas Podolski. In June, Ramos contested in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, starting every match as Spain lost to the hosts in the final. He captained the side for their second group game, a 10–0 win over Tahiti at the Maracanã, which is the biggest win of his career. On 30 June, he missed a penalty kick in the 3–0 Confederations Cup Final loss to Brazil.

Ramos was selected for his third World Cup in 2014. He played the full 90 minutes of each of the team's matches in Brazil, each with a different partner in central defence, as the reigning champions were eliminated from the group stage.

In February 2016, Ramos won the Luis Aragonés Award by Marca, which distinguished him as the best player of the national team in the past year. With David de Gea selected ahead of Iker Casillas in Spain's starting line-up, Ramos captained the team at UEFA Euro 2016. On 21 June 2016, he had a penalty kick saved by Danijel Subašić in a 2–1 loss to Croatia. Spain finished their Euro group as runners-up and crashed out in the Round of 16 against Italy.

On 23 March 2018, days before turning 32, Ramos earned his 150th cap for Spain in a 1–1 friendly draw with Germany in Düsseldorf. Only Iker Casillas had previously reached the mark for the team.

Ramos was included in the Spain squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and would go into his fourth tournament, and first World Cup as Captain after Iker Casillas missed out. He played in all three of Spain's Group stage matches as they topped the 'Group of Death' ahead of European Champions Portugal. In the Round of 16 against Russia, Ramos believed he scored the opening goal but it was later credited as an Sergei Ignashevich own goal. The match ended 1–1 after extra time and was decided on penalties (4–3) as the hosts eliminated La Roja. Ramos scored Spain's fourth penalty but it wasn't enough as teammates Koke and Aspas both had their penalties saved.

In the second Euro 2020 qualification match, away to Malta, Ramos did not score for the first time in six matches for Spain – failing to extend his scoring streak. However, the match ended 2–0 to Spain which was his 121st win with La Roja, equaling the all-time record of Iker Casillas. On 7 June 2019, Ramos broke the record of most international victories with 122, following a 4–1 victory against the Faroe Islands, scoring Spain's opening goal in the process. Three days later, ahead of the match against Sweden, Ramos received a plaque from the Spanish Football Federation to commemorate his record. The match ended with a 3–0 win for Spain, where he scored the first goal and extended his tally to 123 international victories. On 5 September 2019, Ramos scored from a penalty kick his 21st international goal to open the score in Spain's 2–1 away win over Romania in a Euro 2020 qualifier, which made him the joint 10th top scorer in the history of the national team, alongside Míchel. On 8 September, Ramos won his 167th cap for Spain in a 4–0 home win over the Faroe Islands in a Euro 2020 qualifier; with this appearance, he equaled Iker Casillas as Spain's most capped player of all time. On 12 October 2019, he became the nation's sole most capped player.

On 6 September 2020, Ramos scored a brace in a 4–0 win over Ukraine for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, reaching 23 international goals and equaling Alfredo Di Stéfano as Spain's eighth-highest all-time goalscorer. On 14 November 2020, in a 1–1 draw against Switzerland, he made his 177th appearance for Spain and overtook Gianluigi Buffon's record for the most international caps received by a European player.

Ramos made his last international appearance on 31 March 2021 as an 86th-minute substitute in a 3–1 home 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying victory against Kosovo.

Ramos was excluded from the squad for UEFA Euro 2020, following an injury-plagued season. His omission marked the first major tournament since Euro 2004 where he was not called for the national team, ending a run of featuring in ten consecutive tournaments. In November 2022, he was excluded from the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Ramos announced his retirement from international football on 23 February 2023 at the age of 36, having not appeared for his country in nearly two years, after new coach Luis de la Fuente told him he would no longer be selected.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, Ramos is a physically strong player with an ability to score from set pieces; he is known for his strong tackles, positioning, and aerial abilities, which allow him to excel in one-on-one situations. In addition to his defensive prowess, he is gifted with pace, good technical ability, and good crossing ability. According to Spanish sports newspaper Marca and FIFA's official records, in 2015, Ramos was clocked at a sprinting speed of 30.6 kilometers per hour, making him one of the fastest footballers at that time. He is also an accurate penalty taker and often uses the Panenka technique to take them. He can also take free kicks due to his ability to bend the ball.

Ramos is praised for his leadership, athleticism, and his offensive and defense prowess, which allows him to be deployed as a centre-back and as a full-back; in his youth, he often played as a right-back, while he later established himself as a centre-back as his career progressed. His former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has compared him to legendary defender Paolo Maldini; both he and Giorgio Chiellini called Ramos the best defender in the world. In 2021, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski named Chiellini and Ramos as the toughest defenders he has ever faced. Ramos has also played as a defensive midfielder, in particular under Ancelotti during the 2014–15 season. Ramos has been praised for his amazing performances in big games, most notably for Real Madrid, due to his ability to score crucial goals. However, his consistency has been questioned by the media, and he’s prone to occasional defensive errors.

Ramos is often criticised in the media for committing overly aggressive, reckless tackles and for picking up an excessive amount of cards; he has also been accused of diving.

Ramos holds multiple disciplinary records, for Real Madrid, the Champions League, La Liga, El Clásico and the Spain national team.

Ramos holds the record for the most carded player in La Liga, with 191 cards. His 171 yellow cards surpass that of Alberto Lopo, the former record holder for La Liga yellow cards. The remaining 20 are red cards, making Ramos the most red-carded player in La Liga as well. His La Liga cards are higher than that of any other player in the top five European leagues.

In the Champions League, Ramos has amassed 40 yellow cards and four red cards (three of which were straight red cards), making him both the most carded player and joint most red carded player in Champions League history.

Finally, Ramos also holds the record for being the most carded player in the history of the Spain national team, with 24 yellow cards.

Ramos began a relationship with journalist/presenter Pilar Rubio in September 2012 and they were seen together at that year's Ballon d'Or ceremony. They have four sons together: Sergio, Marco, Alejandro, and Máximo Adriano. On 16 July 2018, Ramos and Rubio got engaged. On 15 June 2019, they got married in Seville.

Ramos has a close relationship with his family, especially his siblings and parents. Rene, his brother, is currently his football agent, and is married to singer Lorena Gómez. Ramos is a fan of bullfighting and he is friends with bullfighter Alejandro Talavante. Ramos also owns a stud farm in his native town of Andalusia that is dedicated to breeding the Andalusian horse. His horse, 'Yucatán SR4' became a World Champion in 2018. In addition, he and his wife Rubio are art collectors.

Ramos has lots of tattoos, including Jesus, Mary, the Star of David, a lion, a wolf, a dreamcatcher, the map of Spain, a Native American chief, the hamsa, the FIFA World Cup and Champions League trophies and his family members.

In January 2019, Amazon Prime and Ramos himself announced they would release an eight-episode documentary series on Ramos's life in football and outside of football. It was named El Corazón de Sergio Ramos (The Heart of Sergio Ramos). On 5 March, during Real Madrid's Champions League Round of 16 second leg match, Ramos was suspended and watched the match from his VIP area in the stands. His reactions were filmed by the Amazon Prime crew. This sparked controversy as Real Madrid lost the match and were eliminated from the Champions League, though Ramos said on social media that there were "certain commitments made and it never remotely went through my head that the game could have turned out as it did".

Due to the success of his first documentary series, Ramos announced in June 2020 on social media that Amazon would release another documentary known as La Leyenda Sergio Ramos (The Legend of Sergio Ramos), which consists of six episodes and shows his career highlights. It was released in Spain in April 2021 and was released worldwide in June 2021.

In 2026, Sergio Ramos, alongside the investment group Five Eleven Capital, attempted to acquire a controlling stake in Sevilla. Negotiations reportedly centered on a deal worth around €450 million, but collapsed after Ramos' consortium submitted a revised offer that reduced the purchase price and altered the ownership structure from an immediate majority acquisition to a smaller initial stake with a proposed future capital increase. Sevilla's shareholders rejected the revised terms and ended the negotiations.

La Liga: 2006–07, 2007–08, 2011–12, 2016–17, 2019–20

Supercopa de España: 2008, 2012, 2017, 2020

UEFA Champions League: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18

FIFA Club World Cup: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018

UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2004