“They’re the best in the world” - Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos names favourites to win Club World Cup

Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos has backed the club to win the FIFA Club World Cup this year. The LaLiga giants will kickstart their run in the tournament with a game against Al-Hilal at the Hard Rock Stadium on Wednesday, June 18.

Los Blancos have been placed in Group H alongside the Saudi club, Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg. The top two teams from the group will advance to the knockouts.

Real Madrid arrive at the tournament having made multiple changes to the squad. Carlo Ancelotti has made way for Xabi Alonso, while Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold have been roped in to bolster the backline.

The LaLiga giants have also signed Franco Mastantuono from River Plate. However, the Argentinean will only move to the Santiago Bernabeu once he turns 18 in August.

Interestingly, Los Blancos had an underwhelming 2024/25 campaign under Ancelotti, failing to win the league as well as the Champions League. As such, the FIFA Club World Cup will hold great significance for Xabi Alonso's side.

Speaking recently, as cited by Madrid Xtra, Ramos insisted that his former club are always favorites in big competitions.

“Club World Cup favorites? I think Real Madrid are always the favorites in big competitions. They’re the best in the world,” said Ramos.

Sergio Ramos registered 671 appearances for Los Blancos and currently plays for Mexican club Monterrey.

How many times have Real Madrid won the FIFA Club World Cup?

Real Madrid last won the tournament in 2022

Real Madrid have won the FIFA Club World Cup on five occasions since the inception of the tournament in 2000. They first got their hands on the global trophy in 2014, defeating Argentinean club San Lorenzo in the final.

Los Blancos dominated the tournament from 2016 to 2018, winning three straight titles. To date, they are the only team to have achieved that feat.

The LaLiga giants also reigned supreme in 2022 and are the most successful club in the history of the FIFA Club World Cup. However, FIFA have now revamped the tournament, which will be held every four years starting from 2025, and will feature 32 teams.

Of these, 12 teams will feature from Europe and six from South America. The global tournament will also include four teams each from Asia and Africa. There will be four teams from North, Central America and Caribbean, along with one team from the host nation and one from Oceania.

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Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit