Is Sergio Ramos football’s Benjamin Button?
The CF Monterrey captain opened the scoring in their FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ opener with an unstoppable header against FC Internazionale Milano in a clash that ended all square at the Rose Bowl in southern California on Tuesday, claiming his fifth goal in his last ten outings for the Mexican club – an exceptional return for a centre-back.
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And as the 39-year-old goes from strength to strength, he seems to be giving fans the impression that he is getting younger as the seasons pass, much like the protagonist in David Fincher’s modern classic.
“He scored another fine goal and brings his energy with him wherever he goes,” Monterrey attacking midfielder Lucas Ocampos told FIFA. “That’s why he’s our captain… And scoring headers is his specialty!”
Indeed, of his 145 career goals to date, almost half of them have been headers (69). Scoring in myriad ways, this impressive statistic makes the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ winner one of the most prolific goalscoring defenders in history.
In three of the last eight seasons (2016/17, 2018/19 and 2019/20), Ramos managed to break into double figures with Real Madrid C. F. across all competitions. In the 2016/17 season, he also became the first defender in the 21st century to break into double-digits in La Liga, with 11 goals.
Thanks to his goalscoring prowess and towering headers, Monterrey got their Club World Cup campaign off to the perfect start against the European heavyweights. With their fans showing up en masse to fire them on at the Rose Bowl, this valuable point against the Italians, European runners-up no less, will fuel their tournament ambitions.
“We’re going to take it one step at a time, but we’re obviously hoping to win our next two matches and go as far as we can together,” said Ocampos.
Monterrey head coach Domenec Torrent, who arrived at the club in May, said that it is imperative for Rayados to take advantage of Tuesday’s uplifting result for the rest of their Group E adventure. “We have to make the most of it,” he said.
Monterrey’s next contest comes against CA River Plate, and if they beat Marcelo Gallardo’s men on Saturday, the five-time Mexican champions will be eyeing a clear shot at a spot in the round of 16. With Ramos staring down Father Time, the Mexican side are poised to do something special.
