Li Ang first asked Sevilla about the possibility of purchasing Ramos.
In the second half of the 20032004 season, Ramos began to make a name for himself in Sevilla's First Team. He was not even 18 years old at that time. In the 20032004 season, Sevilla faced Valencia in a crucial match for the league title. Other than being hit from the back by Valencia at the beginning of the match due to his aggressive assist and Vicente cutting into the penalty area from his position and scoring from a narrow angle, Ramos was able to go head to head with Vicente, who was at his peak at the time, in the rest of the match.
It could be said that although Ramos only played seven matches for Sevilla in the season that had just ended, the 18-year-old had the tendency to secure the position of Sevilla's right back in the final stage of the season.
In the 20042005 season that was about to begin, Ramos completely became the backbone of the team, mainly playing as the right back. The right midfielders were Alves and his friend, Navas, who was gradually maturing, helping Sevilla to build the sharpest right flank in La Liga. Sometimes, because the two old hooligan center backs, Alfaro and Harvey, Navas, were often suspended, Ramos would also be arranged to the center back position for emergencies.
At that time, Ramos was fast, fit, skillful, and tireless. He was already an existence that was obviously better than his peers. What he lacked was defensive experience and positional awareness. It could be said that for so many years in Spanish football, there was almost no defender who had a good balance of strength, explosive power, speed, and technical foundation. Therefore, the highly malleable and talented Ramos was quickly hyped up by the media and placed high hopes on him.
In March 2005, Ramos, who was not even 19 years old, represented the national team in a friendly match (against the China team). Soon after, he was in the starting lineup for the crucial World Cup qualifier against Serbia. It was a matter of course. In the end, when the entire team was almost dispirited in the match against Serbia, only he and Raúl showed the most fighting spirit and courage. In that match, Ramos risked his life to rush to the front field to pressure and intercept the ball, directly creating offensive opportunities. It could be said that the young calf was not afraid of the tiger, which was very suitable for Aragones' temper. Therefore, he was quickly selected as the first choice for the right back, replacing the old Salgado.
What happened next was that he was spotted by Real Madrid in the summer of 2005. The 19-year-old Ramos, who had only played a complete season as the main force, was bought by Real Madrid for a high price of 27 million Euros. He was successfully selected to play as the main force in the 2006 World Cup squad.
*****
Sevilla was a strong team that had risen in La Liga in recent seasons. They were ranked sixth in La Liga last season. Ramos already had the tendency to be the main right back. Under such circumstances, it was very difficult for Sporting de Gijón to poach him. However, having successfully acquired Pepe, Li Ang still wanted to work hard to see if he could replicate the combination of Real Madrid's Pepe and Ramos in Sporting de Gijón.
Sevilla's technical director and general manager, Ramón Rodríguez Bedejo, responded quickly to Sporting de Gijón. This gentleman, who had been at the helm of Sevilla's transfer power since 2000 and had successfully developed Sevilla into a famous black shop team in La Liga, frankly told Li Ang, "You want to buy Sergio Ramos? You can't afford it. "
You see, they did not say that they were not selling, they directly said that they could not afford it!
These kinds of words were the most hurtful. Li Ang and Sporting de Gijón were despised just like that. Li Ang knew about Ramón Rodríguez Bedejo. This gentleman had been at the helm of Sevilla from then until 2016, before his "rebirth." In more than ten years, there were countless successful cases of buying at a low price and selling at a high price. It could be said that Li Ang admired Ramón very much before. Of course, he now tasted the feeling of being despised.
Ramón's proud deeds in Sevilla included four players related to 2003 and 2004. Among them, the most noteworthy was Reyes, who was the first jewel of Sevilla's youth training in the 21st century. In January 2004, Reyes, who was only 20 years old, was transferred to Arsenal for 30 million euros.
Then there was Baptista. In the summer of 2003, Sevilla spent 3 million euros to buy this defensive midfielder from São Paulo. In the following two seasons, Baptista was placed in the attacking midfielder position and scored nearly 50 goals. In July 2005, he was bought by Real Madrid for 24 million euros.
Then there was Sergio Ramos, another star of Sevilla's youth training after Reyes. In 2005, Real Madrid bought him for 27 million euros at the age of 19, setting a record for the value of a young player. It seemed too expensive at the time, but time later proved that the deal was a complete success.
There was also Dani Alves. In Monchi's own words, this was his "best transfer" in Sevilla. In Monchi's first year as manager, he was loaned from the Brazilian team BAHIA for 500,000 euros. In January 2004, Sevilla paid an additional 850,000 euros to buy Alves. In the summer of 2008, Barça bought the player, who was considered "one of the best right backs in football in the past 10 years," for 35 million euros.
Obviously, Monchi's vision was very accurate. In his eyes, Ramos, who was only 18 years old, was another Reyes. This was a golden baby. How could he sell it now?!
This was Li Ang's first setback in the transfer market. He was a little helpless. He was a little angry at Monchi's disdain, but he was also very impressed with this gentleman. He knew his own family. He valued Ramos because he knew the future development. However, Monchi was obviously not a "transmigrator," but this Sevilla general manager's vision in the transfer market was admirable.
*****
After being rejected by Sevilla again, Li Ang turned his attention to Mai Kong.
This was because he received the latest news that Mai Kong had not officially transferred to Monaco. Although there was news that Mai Kong was only one step away from joining Monaco, he had not signed the contract yet.
His "seduction" of Ramos was thwarted. This also made Li Ang less confident in getting Mai Kong. This was because compared to Monaco, a French Ligue 1 powerhouse, Sporting de Gijón was obviously not as attractive.
For those very, very young players, he could still entice them to join him by giving them a stable chance to play. However, for the 23-year-old Mai Kong, Li Ang was not confident. After all, Monaco was the runner-up of the UEFA Champions League last season.
Just like that, Sporting de Gijón sent a fax directly to the Brazilian club, Cruzeiro, asking for three million euros to buy their Brazilian defender, Mai Kong Douglas Cicenardo.
This price was the price that Li Ang remembered when Mai Kong finally transferred to Monaco this summer.
In his heart, Li Ang did not think that this price would move Cruzeiro. Sporting de Gijón was probably not that attractive to Mai Kong. However, he still asked the club to send the fax. This time, it could be said that he was venting his frustration. He just wanted to see if he would continue to be rejected. Yes, he would definitely be rejected, but he just wanted to have a taste of being rejected again.
Almost at the same time, Li Ang continued to ask Sevilla for a price. This time, his target was Alves. At this time, Alves was already Sevilla's main player. It was obvious that he was regarded as a golden baby by Monchi. It was obvious that he would still be rejected and despised.
Banderas and Scotti did not understand Li Ang's actions. In any case, they felt that after being despised by Monchi, this person … was provoked.
Sevilla's reply came back almost an hour after Sporting de Gijón's fax was sent. This time, Monchi did not know whether to laugh or cry as he replied to the young Sporting de Gijón manager: Stop messing around …
The media, who were waiting to see Li Ang make a fool of himself, started to get lively. They all joked about this matter and made sarcastic remarks about Li Ang and Sporting de Gijón. They finally found a chance to despise Li Ang. It could be said that they were overjoyed.
At the same time, Sporting de Gijón's fax was sent to OFK Belgrade in Serbia and Montenegro. Sporting de Gijón wanted to buy this team's 20-year-old young player, Branislav Ivanovic.
PS: Dear friends, what I want to say is that from tomorrow onwards, most of the updates will be during the day. Continue to pay off the debt. I have to pull myself together.
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