Leading the acquisition of Sevilla, will La Liga welcome a "President Ramos"?

Written by Han Bing Could 39-year-old former Real Madrid star Ramos, in the role of club chairman, be watching matches alongside Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez in Sevilla’s VIP box? This is not just imagination—on January 2, Spanish media revealed that Ramos is actively negotiating the acquisition of his home club Sevilla. The consortium he heads has submitted a formal bid, which is said to be the highest offer Sevilla has received to date. If successful, Ramos would become a minority shareholder, and given his influence, it is possible he might assume the role of club president.

Having joined Sevilla’s youth academy at age 10, Ramos has always held a special affection for his home club. At 19, he transferred to Real Madrid, generating a transfer fee of €27 million for Sevilla, which was a record for a Spanish defender at that time. In the summer of 2023, the 37-year-old Ramos turned down a €50 million annual salary offer from a Saudi club to return home to Sevilla. At the club that nurtured him, Ramos’s salary is only €1 million per year, just one-tenth of what he earned at Paris Saint-Germain. After one season with Sevilla, Ramos moved to North America, joining Monterrey in Mexico.

In recent years, the former European "Cup King" Sevilla has been heavily in debt and declining. Although they won the Europa League in the 2022/23 season, the club’s strength has weakened—they currently rank only 12th in La Liga, the lowest since their promotion in the 2001/02 season. Previously, they had finished in the top half of La Liga for 20 consecutive seasons and placed 4th for three straight years. However, in the last three seasons, their rankings were 12th, 14th, and 17th respectively. Last season was especially tough, as the team narrowly avoided relegation by just one point.

This season, under the guidance of Argentine legend Almada, Sevilla currently sits in 10th place but is only five points above the relegation zone.

Last season, Sevilla suffered a loss of up to €50 million. In 2018, the club sold a small stake to the American investment fund 777Partners to ease financial difficulties. However, the fund, which had overextended itself in Europe, soon went bankrupt, plunging Sevilla into deeper trouble. Over the past few months, Sevilla has been seeking new investors. Another hoped-for American buyer, led by Lapi and Quintero and featuring the return of club legend sporting director Monchi, collapsed after they slashed their offer from $3,400 to $2,700 per share, causing negotiations to break down.

Fortunately, Ramos stepped in as a backstop; not only did he bring the highest purchase offer, but he was also chosen by the investors as the face of the acquisition. This means that once the deal is completed, Ramos will inevitably play a key role in the club’s management, possibly even becoming president. For Ramos, who showed excellent leadership during his playing days, this represents a brand-new challenge and a decisive shift in his career focus. However, Ramos has not yet ended his playing career and is still seeking a new club, with French Ligue 1 side Nice being a strong candidate.

Many football stars have invested in Spanish clubs before, but in recent years, only Ronaldo has served as a La Liga club president. With Valladolid relegated and up for sale, Spain’s most influential player-president is Gerard Piqué—the former Barcelona defender, retired just three years ago, has owned FC Andorra for seven years now, and his club currently competes in the Segunda División.

During their playing careers, Ramos and Piqué were captains and locker room leaders of the two Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. Perhaps in the future, they will continue their rivalry in entirely new roles.