They lifted the Champions League together, marked an era and shaped one of the most dominant vestiges in Real Madrid’s history. However, behind the image of a united duo, an unsuspected divide opened in 2018 between Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos. A two-year-long quarrel, which remained secret until a simple photo, taken after a Spain-Portugal match in 2020, revealed the existence of a deep unease. What really happened between the two Madrid giants?
Ronaldo and Ramos stopped talking for two years
The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo for Juventus in the summer of 2018 did not, alone, cause the rift. The truth is hidden elsewhere. For two years, the two captains did not speak to each other, an unimaginable situation for two leaders who had won so much together. Behind this unprecedented cold, a name appears implicitly: Luka Modric.
In 2018, Modric broke the Messi-Ronaldo domination by winning the Ballon d’Or. For Ramos, this distinction seemed fair: he defended it publicly, praising “ an exceptional friend and player “. For Ronaldo, who was absent at the ceremony, the speech was more bitter. Behind a facade of congratulation, CR7 recalled that he “deserved the Ballon d’Or every year”.
A lack of elegance which went down very badly with Ramos, he who saw in Modric a symbol of humility and self-sacrifice. According to the Spanish press, the tone rose off camera, to the point that the two legends cut contact. For two years, absolute radio silence.
2020: a match, a hug, and peace found
We will have to wait until October 2020 to see the two men face to face again, during an uneventful Spain-Portugal. That evening, no apparent tension, but above all an image that had become symbolic: Ramos and Ronaldo, smiling, posing together, arm in arm. The public thought they were seeing an intact friendship again; in reality, he was witnessing their reconciliation.
Since then, everyone has continued their journey. Ronaldo chases the milestone of 1,000 goals with Al-Nassr. Ramos is experiencing a new adventure in Mexico. Modric continues to defy time in Serie A. The quarrel is a thing of the past. But it reminds us of a simple truth: even the greatest are not immune to ego wounds, especially when the Ballon d’Or enters the equation.
