If you think Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo best represents the El Clásico rivalry, then you really should look into the war between Sergio Ramos and Gerard Piqué. The two Spanish defenders are best of friends on the international scene, but fierce rivals in the domestic world.
The two centre backs that best represent everything good about Spanish football have always been pitted against each other for both club & country. Their domestic records are nearly identical but their characteristics and personalities are incredibly different. One dabbles in the celebrity world, the other is a household name.
After having one of the best domestic silverware seasons in modern history, now is a better time than ever to make the case that Sergio Ramos is greater & better than his Spanish CB partner, Gerard Piqué.
Here are 5 reasons why Sergio Ramos has always been greater than Gerard Piqué.
#5 He has more international caps
The sign of a good player is often indicative of how many times they’ve represented their national team. Only the best play for their country and in a talented nation like Spain, both Ramos & Piqué have had to stay world class to maintain international status.
Sergio Ramos has represented his senior national team on 143 occasions, while Piqué has put on the red strip 89 times. Let’s not forget that the two are only one year apart in age, so there’s no excuse from that standpoint. Surely all it comes down to is quality and trust from the national managers.
Clearly, Sergio Ramos was pinpointed as a vital component of Spain’s two European Championships and World Cup win while Piqué was seen as a supporting act.
#4 He’s less vocal on Twitter
A wise old man once said ‘don’t talk the talk, walk the walk’. Some were born to talk and chat, while others were born to win and produce on the pitch. In this scenario, we have a talker and a walker. Gerard Piqué is now a player best known for his frequent outbursts on Twitter than his performances on the pitch.
The Barcelona centre-back is often making headlines in Spain for his tweeted shows of support for Lionel Messi and his teammates. In the process, he often degrades his Madrid rivals and their success. Sergio Ramos doesn’t do so because he’s too busy winning back to back Champions League trophies alongside a La Liga title.
Sergio Ramos doesn’t tweet for attention, he wins for attention.
#3 He’s a captain, Piqué isn’t
There’s a certain added extra element of pressure that pertains to being a captain of a football team. At Real Madrid, despite the imposing presence of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos has been entrusted with being the club captain.
At Barcelona, Gerard Piqué hasn’t been rewarded with such an honour, instead, he plays second fiddle to Lionel Messi. To prove it’s not just a marketing ploy, Sergio Ramos is also captain for the Spanish national team, ironically a team Piqué is also part of.
Leadership qualities are what separates great defenders from average ones, some have it but some evidently don’t. In this scenario, Sergio Ramos will forever be greater than Gerard Piqué as he’s a leader of a nation, not a follower.
#2 He scores more
In the funny world we live in, if it’s not Cristiano Ronaldo bailing out Real Madrid, it’s the incomprehensible Sergio Ramos. The star winger/forward relies on the centre back to share a load of last-minute winners, how peculiar. For a centre back, the Spaniard possesses a goalscoring record that most forwards in Europe would be jealous of.
In his footballing career, Sergio Ramos has directly contributed to 118 goals, scoring 81 of them. That’s literally unheard of in the world of football, both present or the past. You’ve heard of a ball-playing defender, but here we have a goalscoring defender that’s a different breed in modern football.
In contrast, Gerard Piqué has only scored 45 goals in 531 games for both club & country. I guess not everyone can be as complete and all-rounded as Sergio Ramos.
#1 He’s a better defender
This may come down to personal preference, but the proof is in the pudding for this one. At Barcelona, defenders are afforded ample amounts of possession meaning they only have to defend on the rarest of occasions.
While at the Bernabéu, Los Blancos play in a counter-attacking system that relies more on 1v1 defending. This means Ramos is often tested every game regardless of the quality of opposition.
Over the past five La Liga campaigns, Sergio Ramos has made 1.6 tackles per 90 minutes, compared to Piqué’s minuscule 1.44. The Madrid captain has also made more interceptions (2.53) than Gerard Piqué (1.95) per 90.
This shows the 31-year old not only has more defending to do, but when he does do it, he’s superior to his Spanish compatriot.
