Ramos refuses to sign after Son, Kancelu, and ‘jersey reseller’ controversy
The autographed jersey reseller controversy in European soccer continues. As the popularity of soccer superstars increases, so does the number of professional jersey resellers who take advantage of it.
Ramos is from the Andalusian province of Seville. He made his professional debut with Sevilla through the local team Sevilla Youth. At the time, Ramos was a right fullback. Ramos earned a starting spot in the 2004-05 season. By the time he was 18, Ramos had played 41 games for the club, including all competitions. He showed that he could be a goal-scoring defender, scoring two goals.
Real wanted to strengthen their defense and made a move for Ramos. Since joining Real, Ramos has become a world-class defender. Ramos started out as a right fullback, then became the first-choice center back in 2011-12 when Ricardo Carvalho went down with an injury. It was in this position that Ramos really came into his own. His defensive abilities, such as tackling and aerial balls, and his good footwork made him the center of the buildup.
Ramos experienced some glorious moments at Real. He made 671 official appearances for the club, scoring 101 goals and providing 40 assists, an unbelievable record for a defender. With Real, Ramos won five La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles. Individually, he has been named to the FIFA FIFPro World XI 11 times, making him the best defender in the game.
He then moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and left the club after two seasons. This summer, Saudi Arabia approached him with a huge offer, but Ramos chose romance. He returned to Sevilla, where he spent his childhood. It was a return after 18 years. Ramos made his comeback against Las Palmas and gave the team their first win of the season.
Despite his move to Sevilla, Ramos still respected Real. “My heart is divided between Real and Sevilla,” Ramos said. I hope they accept me with the same love I have for them,” he said.
Ramos’ special affection for Real caused controversy when he refused to sign a Real shirt. But there was a reason. European soccer outlet Tribuna reported on the reseller controversy, saying, “Real legend Sergio Ramos has explained why he refused to sign a Real Madrid jersey.“
“I signed six Real jerseys before, but they were sold at auctions and on the internet,” Ramos told the publication. I know that and that’s why I refused to sign them.”
This isn’t the first reseller controversy in European soccer. More recently, Barcelona’s João Cancelo was criticized after he refused to sign a jersey because he was annoyed by fans asking for fan service. However, Cancelo said, “Resellers are not fans. They are in front of the training ground every day, they follow us when we go to eat. They get jerseys signed and sell them for money. It’s a disrespectful attitude. If you want to criticize, you should know exactly what’s going on,” he said, expressing his frustration.
South Korean soccer superstar Son Heung-min was no exception. In September, the South Korean national team traveled to Europe for an A-match, which attracted a lot of fans. As one of the most popular players on the team, Heung-min signed autographs for countless fans, but refused to sign for certain people. This was because they were resellers of autographs. When the reseller shouted at him, “Why won’t you sign my autograph? That’s racist,” he responded, “Because you’re a reseller.
