I remember it well because I was there, at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, watching this Sheet a final da Champions League, Liverpool x Real Madrid.
Still in the first half of a very balanced match, defender Sergio Ramos, captain of the Spanish team, got into a fight with the great Mohamed Salah, the English team’s main striker, and they both fell.
The Egyptian got the worst of it. Injured in his shoulder, he had to be replaced half an hour into the game by Adam Lallana, a reasonable midfielder.
Liverpool lost a lot there, and would go on to lose that decision 3-1, with the brilliance of Welshman Bale (two goals, one of them by bicycle) and two grotesque, memorable mistakes by German goalkeeper Karius – for the following season, the Reds they hired Brazilian Alisson.
Liverpool’s coach was Jürgen Klopp. Who continued at the club until this year, having won the Champions League in 2019 and the English Championship (Premier League) in 2020.
Klopp left the Reds, as a club celebrity and fans’ idol, a few months ago, deciding to interrupt, at least temporarily, his coaching career.
He recently accepted a position at Red Bull, which controls some teams (such as Leipzig in Germany, Salzburg in Austria, New York in the USA and Bragantino in Brazil), to be global football director. In practice, he will act as an “advisor” to the coaches of these teams.
The 57-year-old German has given some interviews, especially to talk about his new role, and was this week on the podcast led by his compatriot Toni Kroos, world champion at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Midfielder Kroos, 34, one of Real Madrid’s greats over the last ten years, hung up his boots after the Euro Cup in July and decided to venture out as an interviewer alongside his brother Felix, also a former player.
Starting in that final in Kiev, Kroos raised the issue with Klopp, who still showed resentment towards Sergio Ramos because of the play with Salah.
Upon seeing the move, it is possible to interpret that the Spaniard purposely applied a “blow” to the Egyptian – it looked like judo –, being malicious.
Klopp is sure of that. “Is Sergio Ramos a good guy? He’s not among my favorite players. The action [contra Salah] It was brutal and we know he was happy.”
“I’ve never been able to understand that mentality,” he continued. “I’ve never kept players like that. When I did, I made them leave [da equipe]. I always considered my defenders good enough not to get involved in acts [desleais] like this.”
The most famous defender managed by Klopp at Liverpool was the Dutchman Van Dijk, who in the 2018 decision against Real formed a partnership with the Croatian Lovren and continues to be a starter for the Reds, captaining the team.
Salah’s injury caused by Sergio Ramos threatened his trip to the 2018 World Cup in Russia and partially compromised his participation. He was left out of the premiere. He played in the next two games, far from his best, and even scored a goal in each, which were insufficient – Egypt lost all three matches.
Considered one of the best defenders in history, champion (as right back) for Spain at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Sergio Ramos, who created a reputation as a tough guy (and he was) and scored goals frequently (he took penalties) , won four Champions Leagues with Real.
“Sherifão”, played for the Madrid club from 2005 to 2021. Afterwards, he was at Paris Saint-Germain and played a season at Sevilla, the club that revealed him. Currently, at 38 years old, he is unemployed.
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