Though the Blancos captain will not be available for Tuesday’s Champions League clash, the Reds still want to avenge their final defeat from 2018
Those who enjoy the idea of karma will have smiled, but for fans of footballing narrative, it was the worst possible news.
There will be no ‘reunion’ between Sergio Ramos and Mohamed Salah when Real Madrid and Liverpool meet on Tuesday.
No showdown, no chance for revenge or retribution, no sideshow in a tie which requires little extra spice as it is.
A calf injury, sustained on international duty with Spain, means Ramos is set to miss both legs of this intriguing Champions League quarter-final, as well as Saturday’s Clasico against Barcelona.
The 35-year-old can expect little sympathy from Liverpool supporters, of course. He remains, and will always remain, a villain in their eyes. Memories of the Reds’ last meeting with Real, in the 2018 final in Kiev, are still fresh.
Ramos left his mark that night, in more ways than one. It was his intervention which, by accident or by design, ended Salah’s shot at glory inside half an hour, and plenty at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp included, believe he was responsible for the way in which Loris Karius’ night unravelled too.
“Ruthless and brutal,” Klopp called him, later comparing Ramos to “a wrestler” for his challenge on Salah.
Liverpool’s No.11 left the field in tears, his shoulder bust and his dream gone. The enduring image of the Egyptian’s first European Cup final was a ridiculously-timed selfie with a man best known for sprinkling salt on overpriced steaks.
Source: goal.com