Beckham sends Ramos heartfelt message after Spanish milestone
13 October, 2019
David Beckham heaped praise upon record-breaking Sergio Ramos after the Spain captain broke the country's appearance record.
Ramos surpassed Iker Casillas' record by earning his 168th cap in Spain's 1-1 draw with Norway in Euro 2020 qualifying on Saturday.
The 33-year-old defender, who debuted in 2005, equalled the record last month before making his landmark appearance away to Norway.
Former Real Madrid team-mate Beckham congratulated Ramos in an Instagram video, which said: "My friend, mi amigo.
"This is an incredible moment for you. I just wanted to send you a message because you've played 168 games for your country.
"You must be very proud. Your family must be very proud. It's an incredible moment, passing Iker.
"So, I'm very happy for you and your family. Congratulations my friend, a kiss for you. Enjoy the night. Lots of love my friend and congratulations."
Following the match, Ramos' pride at the milestone was overshadowed somewhat by Norway's late equaliser that spoiled Spain's perfect record in Euro 2020 qualifying.
"The personal is secondary," he added. "I would have changed the record for the victory.
"It is a pride to be the Spaniard who has worn this shirt more times, which I still hope to wear much more.
"It was a shame we drew. Norway have taken advantage of the last minutes, and in one play they tied us. I'm sad, because we would have liked to achieve the qualification."
Spain coach Robert Moreno also paid tribute to Ramos post-match but was similarly annoyed by the result.
"Ramos' record is incredible," Moreno said. "And he still wants to compete, win titles.
"I want to congratulate him publicly and hopefully he can give us joy for much longer.
"I'm left with a bad feeling because when you concede an equaliser at the end it is not good. We tried to have the ball and control, and in the last minutes we had to kill the game.
"I liked the attitude of the team, but not the first half. In the second half we have tightened up more, we generated opportunities to score the second goal...but in the end the control has been lost."