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When Sergio Ramos rose to head home a late leveller in added time against Atletico and rescued Real Madrid's Decima dream in May last year, he carved his name into club folklore. But just 13 months on, he now seems set for a dramatic departure.
With Xabi Alonso and Angel Di Maria sold last summer, Alvaro Morata moved on and coach Carlo Ancelotti sacked recently, the team that won the 10th European Cup for Real continues to be broken up. Club captain Iker Casillas is also on the verge of an emotional exit, but Ramos was a player expected to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu for many years to come. Not now. Within the space of just a few days, Madrid have gone from negotiating a new contract for the Spain centre-back to discussing the terms of his departure. As things stand, Ramos is closer to the exit door than to a fresh deal at the club he joined as a talented 19-year-old for €27 million in 2005. Despite the rapid change in developments, the defender's discontent has been brewing for some time with only two contract renewals in his 10 years at the club - Ramos last improved terms back in 2011. He currently earns around €5.5m after tax, a figure that places him in only the fifth-highest wage bracket at the Bernabeu. Cristiano Ronaldo (€17m per year), Gareth Bale (€11m), Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez (€7m) and Iker Casillas and Toni Kroos (€6m) all earn more and even though president Florentino Perez promised to pay Ramos "whatever he deserves" after Madrid won La Decima, the Madrid chief has not delivered on his promise. Talks have hit a stalemate, with no developments since January. Ramos was convinced negotiations would resume as normal at the end of last season, but the club failed to up their offer of €7m-per-year after tax in fresh talks, with Ramos believing he should be paid closer to €10m annually. After all, the defender sealed La Decima for Madrid and also starred in the Club World Cup win last December, when he was named as the best player in that competition. He has also put his body on the line for Real, playing through injury in Morocco and again in the Champions League semi-finals against Juventus in May. Publicly, the Perez-Ramos relationship has always appeared healthy, yet the president has a dislike for players with what he perceives to be "too much power" in the dressing room. Raul, Fernando Hierro and Luis Figo, all influential voices off the pitch, ended up leaving the club under a cloud following a breakdown in relations with Florentino. Cristiano Ronaldo is an exception in that respect because Perez knows he cannot afford to part with the club's prized player at this point. Ramos, however, is almost as important as Ronaldo. An organiser on the pitch, Madrid's back line looks lost without him - as was all too apparent in the 4-0 loss at Atletico back in February. The Seville-born defender adds the authority and guidance needed in any top team and without him, Real lack leadership. Ramos spoke out in support of Ancelotti prior to the Italian's sacking and was also against former coach Jose Mourinho when Perez continued to back the Portuguese. Those things did not go down well with the club chief and there is a real reluctance on the president's part to offer the player any more money now. There was also the issue of how Ramos' name was linked with Barca presidential candidate Jordi Majo. Majo claimed he had been offered Ramos by an intermediary to headline his bid to seize power at Camp Nou. Ramos' agent denied any involvement, leading to speculation as to who put Ramos' name forward. Tellingly, there was no denial from Real. Manchester United, once described by Ramos as "the Real Madrid of the Premier League", are apparently ready to offer the player the money he believes he deserves and what started out as a Plan B for the defender is now much more than that. It is a very real possibility for the coming campaign and several more after that as the player seeks the last bumper contract of an impressive career. Hs first choice was always to stay at the Bernabeu. But with Real unwilling to meet the defender's demands, he will go ahead and seek a transfer this summer. So unless the club backs down and coughs up the cash (which seems unlikely at this stage), Madrid will soon start life without another of the pillars in their ever-changing team. It all seems so avoidable. Also: brazil will not be arguing with the decision to ban neymar, his tournament is definitely over.After an impressive season with Barcelona, Neymar will have fancied his chances of making the podium for the 2015 Fifa Ballon d'Or. Perhaps he was even dreaming of dethroning Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world.
Over the past seven years, Lionel Messi and the Real Madrid man have been the only two players to win the prestigious individual award, with the Argentine lifting the individual trophy on four occasions between 2008 and 2014 and the Portugal star emerging victorious three times in that period - two of which have come in the last two years. Neymar seemed a legitimate potential candidate to end that duopoly. The Brazil star had to settle for seventh spot in 2014, yet his contribution to Barcelona's treble win this term made him one of a limited number of contenders to win the award this time around. Indeed, his agent Wagner Ribeiro was adamant earlier this month that he has every chance of being crowned the globe's best within the next two years. "This year Neymar will feature among the three best players in the world," the attacker's representative said. "The award will then come naturally after that, perhaps this year or in 2016." The Copa America appeared to be the perfect stage to set himself apart from Messi. His Barcelona team-mate remains the standout candidate for the 2015 Ballon d'Or but success at international level would have given Neymar's chances a huge boost. Rather than do himself a favour in the race, however, the ex-Santos star has effectively ended his own chances. He made a fine start to the tournament with a man-of-the-match performance versus Peru but, ultimately, his Copa America will only be remembered for his red card and subsequent hissy fit against Colombia. "Neymar has matured and grown as an athlete since his move Europe," claimed Wagner Ribeiro before the tournament. Events in Santiago proved him wrong. There is no denying that he was targeted by Colombia defenders and roughed up right from the start. Jose Pekerman's men were out to provoke their opponents' star player - and did just that in the end. Colombia's actions did not justify Neymar's reaction, though. Skilled players deserve to be protected by referees but at no point did Colombia cross the line. Neymar got the treatment Messi and Ronaldo get on a weekly basis. The Argentine and Portuguese have learned to live with it. The Brazilian, not so much - and he will have to pay the price for his petulance. Neymar's Ballon d'Or chances have disappeared following his Colombia madness. He needed Brazil to win the Copa and he needed to be their main man if he was to have a realistic chance. That ship has sailed following his four-game ban. More so, however, Fifa has shown in the past that it does not take lightly to players bringing the game into disrepute. Luis Suarez did just that in 2014 when he bit Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup and was consequently omitted from the 23-man shortlist compiled by the members of Fifa's Football Committee and a panel of experts from France Football, irrespective of his stunning performances for Liverpool the preceding season. Neymar could await a similar fate. His red card in itself will not keep him off the shortlist but his behaviour in the tunnel after the incident could have severe consequences. The forward not only verbally assaulted referee Enrique Osses, but also attempted to lash out at the Chilean, only to be ushered away by Copa America officials. That could – and perhaps even should – mean trouble, just as it did for Suarez. Just four days ago, the Brazilian was among the favourites to land the Ballon d'Or, even if Messi's bid to wrestle it back from Ronaldo seem unstoppable. One moment of madness later, he seems to have blown his chances altogether. Brazil coach Dunga will have to make do without the services of Neymar for the remainder of the Copa America, with the attacker handed a four-game suspension.
The Barcelona star was shown a straight red card for his role in a brawl with Jeison Murillo and Carlos Bacca after Brazil's Copa América loss against Colombia on Wednesday and has consequently been banned for four matches as well as a $10,000 fine. He had previously already picked up his second yellow card of the tournament in the 1-0 defeat versus the Colombians. Neymar will thus miss Brazil's final Group C match versus Venezuela on Sunday, while he is also out of any potential knockout stage match. Brazil have the right to appeal the decision to Conmebol, the South American governing body, on Saturday morning. The 23-year-old was in fine form in the Selecao's 2-1 opening win over Peru, scoring once and setting up Douglas Costa's opener. He was unable to replicate that form versus Jose Pékerman's men, though, as they were beaten 1-0. Neymar's absence means Philippe Coutinho or Douglas Costa could make Dunga's starting XI for the remainder of the tournament. Why not?cristiano ronaldo
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