Ex-Madrid Captain Sergio Ramos Signs 2-year Deal with PSG

Soccer Football - World Cup Qualifiers Europe - Group B - Spain v Greece - Los Carmenes, Granada, Spain - March 25, 2021 Spain's Sergio Ramos REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
Soccer Football - World Cup Qualifiers Europe - Group B - Spain v Greece - Los Carmenes, Granada, Spain - March 25, 2021 Spain's Sergio Ramos REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
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Ex-Madrid Captain Sergio Ramos Signs 2-year Deal with PSG

Soccer Football - World Cup Qualifiers Europe - Group B - Spain v Greece - Los Carmenes, Granada, Spain - March 25, 2021 Spain's Sergio Ramos REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
Soccer Football - World Cup Qualifiers Europe - Group B - Spain v Greece - Los Carmenes, Granada, Spain - March 25, 2021 Spain's Sergio Ramos REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo

Obsessed with winning the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain added precious experience to its squad by recruiting former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos on Thursday.

The 35-year-old Ramos signed a two-year deal with PSG after Madrid preferred not to renew his contract last month.

Ramos was with the Spanish powerhouse since arriving from Sevilla in 2005 when he was 19. The central defender helped the club win 22 titles, including four Champions Leagues and five Spanish leagues. His 93rd-minute header helped secure Madrid the European trophy in 2014.

“This is a big change in my life, a new challenge and it’s a day I will never forget," The Associated Press quoted Ramos as saying.

“Paris Saint-Germain is a club that has already proven itself at the highest level. I want to continue to grow and improve at Paris and help the team to win as many trophies as possible.”

Ramos scored 101 goals in 671 matches with Madrid. He was left off Spain’s squad for the European Championship after playing sparingly this season because of knee and muscle injuries. It was the first major tournament Ramos missed since he began playing with the senior squad in 2005.

He was a member of the Spain team that won an unprecedented title hat trick at Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.

PSG has been desperate to win Europe's biggest trophy since Qatari owners QSI took over a decade ago. The club has achieved considerable progress on the continent's biggest stage, reaching the Champions League final last year. It lost in the semifinals to Manchester City this season.

“Sergio is a complete footballer, one of the best defenders in the history of the game. He is a born competitor, a leader and a true professional. His vast experience and ambition is in perfect synergy with those of the club," PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi said.

Ramos is the third player bought by PSG during the transfer window after it also secured the services of Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and Inter Milan right back Achraf Hakimi. PSG is also reportedly set to sign Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma after the European Championship.



Americans Favored to Top Overall Medal Count in Paris Olympics

Paris 2024 Olympics - Preview - Eiffel Tower, Paris, France - June 25, 2024 Olympic rings are displayed on the Eiffel Tower, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic games in Paris REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski
Paris 2024 Olympics - Preview - Eiffel Tower, Paris, France - June 25, 2024 Olympic rings are displayed on the Eiffel Tower, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic games in Paris REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski
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Americans Favored to Top Overall Medal Count in Paris Olympics

Paris 2024 Olympics - Preview - Eiffel Tower, Paris, France - June 25, 2024 Olympic rings are displayed on the Eiffel Tower, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic games in Paris REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski
Paris 2024 Olympics - Preview - Eiffel Tower, Paris, France - June 25, 2024 Olympic rings are displayed on the Eiffel Tower, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic games in Paris REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski

The United States is strongly favored to win the most overall medals when the Paris Olympics open in a month. The big question is this: will the Americans also top the gold-medal tally in a close race with China?
The United States is projected to win 123 medals overall — 37 gold, 34 silver, and 52 bronze. China is forecast to win 87 overall — 36 gold, 29 silver, and 22 bronze.
This forecast is done by Nielsen’s Gracenote Sports, which supplies statistical analysis for sports leagues around the world. It also tracks major competitions involving Olympic sports leading up to the Games, The Associated Press reported.
The United States and China finished 1-2 in both categories in 2021 in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics.
Gracenote’s ranking is based on overall medals won, although others focus the rankings on gold totals. The International Olympic Committee does not compile rankings, leaving this to nations and local media.
This would be the eighth straight time the United States has won the most overall medals in the Summer Games. In 1992 at Barcelona, the so-called Unified team topped the overall count. Those athletes were from the former Soviet Union, which had just broken up as a sovereign state.
The last time the United States did not top the gold-medal count in the Summer Games was in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where China invested heavily and saw dividends.
Next in line with overall and gold totals for Paris are: Britain (62-14), France (56-29), Australia (48-13), Japan (46-12), Italy (46-11), Germany (37-10), Netherlands (34-17), South Korea (29-8).
The next 10 are: Hungary (23-7), Canada (20-6), Spain (18-4), Ukraine (17-2), Brazil (16-7), New Zealand (16-4), Poland (15-5), Denmark (14-5), Türkiye (14-4), Ethiopia (13-2).
And 21 through 30 are: Sweden (12-6), Georgia (12-3), Serbia (11-5), Belgium (11-3), Uzbekistan (11-3), Kazakhstan (10-2), Iran (9-4), Croatia (9-3), Romania (9-2), Ireland (9-2).
Host nations always get a bump in medals, and France is expected to get a big one and increase its overall total from 33 in Tokyo. France is forecast to nearly triple its gold-medal output from Tokyo, where Japan picked up a record haul.
Performing at home is an advantage, partly because host nations invest more heavily in training athletes. Then, of course, there are adoring home crowds and the familiar surroundings.
The unknown factor is the presence of Russian and — to a lesser extent — Belarusian athletes. They have been absent from most international competitions over the last two years because of the war in Ukraine. It's still unclear how many will participate, and their influence is difficult to factor into the forecast, Gracenote acknowledges.