Real Madrid: Sergio Ramos masterful in Spain’s win over Switzerland

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos had himself a day against Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League.

Saturday’s international football action included a slate of games in the UEFA Nations League, and Spain took care of business against a tough Switzerland side, grinding out a 1-0 win over Mikel Oyarzabal’s 14th minute goal. Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos played a key role as Spain’s leader, helping the lead the way for the clean sheet.

Ramos and Sergio Busquets are two regulars for the Spanish national team, and the league rivals helped run the show with Mikel Merino, who has been arguably La Liga’s best midfielder through the first five Matchdays of 2020-2021.

The Real Madrid standout attempted 83 passes, per WhoScored.com, just one behind Busquets for the team lead. Like Busquets, he completed over 92 percent of his attempts, leading all outfield players with 11 completed long balls out of 12. Ramos continues to be a classy center back in terms of his passing from distance.

Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos led the way for Spain defensively

Defensively, Ramos was even better. He led all players on Spain with six tackles, as Busquets and Merino combined for five as the only other players with more than one tackle for Spain. Ramos added two interceptions, two clearances, and one dribble completed.

The No. 4 has been good for Real Madrid to start the 2020-2021 La Liga season, but this display in the clean sheet for Spain was his finest defensive performance yet. He was all over the place and, as usual, positive in the build-up play for his national team.

At 34, Ramos remains one of the world’s best center backs, and it’s getting to a point where the only player who might be better than him is his own club teammate, France’s Raphael Varane. They are truly an all-time great center back duo for Los Blancos and also play at the highest level on their own with their respective national sides.