José Antonio ‘Tato’ Noriega, sports president of Rayados de Monterrey, confirmed that Sergio Ramos will not continue with the team for the Clausura 2026. The Spanish defender bid farewell after the elimination in the Apertura 2025 semifinals against Toluca, where he scored a penalty goal. Despite efforts to retain him, no agreement was reached.
José Antonio ‘Tato’ Noriega, sports president of Rayados de Monterrey, announced on Monday the definitive departure of Sergio Ramos from the club. The 39-year-old Spanish defender, world champion with Spain in 2010, will not renew his contract for the next tournament, the Clausura 2026.
Ramos' last match with the team was this past Sunday, in the Apertura 2025 semifinal against Toluca, where Rayados were eliminated. In that game, the player scored a penalty goal and, in a subsequent interview with TUDN, hinted that it was his farewell.
“The talks were open for him to stay, but we always saw a difficulty for him to renew. It surprised us that Sergio made it known after the match, but he is within his rights; anyway, it was going to be known,” Noriega explained. The executive revealed that, for weeks, the club tried to convince the multi-champion with Real Madrid to stay, but there was no willingness from the player.
“We talked to him some time ago and saw that there was no possibility for him to continue; we knew the end would be this, although we would have liked to announce it differently,” he added.
Ramos joined Monterrey in February this year, wearing number 93 in reference to a key goal in his career with Real Madrid. In two tournaments, he played 23 matches as a starter and scored five goals. Under his captaincy, the team competed in the Clausura 2025 (eliminated by Toluca), the Club World Cup (defeat against Borussia Dortmund), the Leagues Cup (failed to advance from groups), and the Apertura 2025 (again eliminated by Toluca).
In contrast, Noriega confirmed the continuity of Sergio Canales, another team star, who has an active contract with an automatic extension option based on his performance. Regarding coach Domenec Torrent, the executive assured that his contract remains in effect, despite the recent elimination.