Sergio Ramos García (born 30 March 1986 in Camas, Seville Province in Andalusia) is a Spanish footballer who currently plays for Real Madrid and for the Spanish national team. Ramos plays as a right back, but can also play as a central defender and a left back. He is known for his runs on the right flank, crosses and vigorous defending, also contributing with a fair share of goals from his position. Club career Real Madrid Sergio Ramos (in white) against Valencia CF At Real Madrid, Ramos was awarded the number 4 shirt, previously occupied by team captain Fernando Hierro. He scored his first goal for the Madrid side on 6 December 2005 in a UEFA Champions League defeat at Olympiacos, a game which Real Madrid eventually lost 3–2. During his first seasons, Ramos played as centre-back, being also used as an emergency defensive midfielder on occasion. However, with the arrival of Christoph Metzelder and Pepe in the 2007–08 season, he was again relocated to right back. Ramos also displayed a goal-scoring instinct unusual to many defenders, netting more than 20 overall goals in Los Blancos shirt during his first four seasons. In an interview with Grada Blanca, he revealed that he used to play as a striker when he was younger, eventually switching to the back four. On 4 May 2008, Ramos assisted Gonzalo Higuaín in the 89th minute against CA Osasuna in an eventual 2–1 away win, the match that sealed Real Madrid's 31st league championship. On the final day of the season, Ramos scored twice in a 5–2 home win against already relegated Levante UD, one in a header and another after a brave effort, taking his league tally to five. In the start of the following campaign, he scored the vital goal in the Spanish Supercup contest against Valencia CF, to make it 2–1 to and 4–4 on aggregate, in an eventual 4–2 win (6–5), despite playing largely with only nine men. On 11 January 2009, Ramos scored on an acrobatic volley against RCD Mallorca (3–0 away triumph), continuing his scoring run in the following week, in a 3–1 home win against Osasuna. Ramos was named in both FIFA and UEFA's 2008 Team of the Year, adding the FIFPro Team of the Year 2007–08 accolade. He also finished 21st in the European Player of the Year nomination for 2008. At the beginning of the 2008-09, Ramos experienced a slight dip in form but returned to his best, scoring 5 goals in all competitions that season. On November 7th 2009, Ramos played against Real Madrid's local rivals Atletico Madrid. He was sent off in the game, making him the most sent-off player in La Liga at only 23 years old. International career Spain playing Sweden in Euro 2008. In 2005, Ramos became an instant hit for Spain's under-21, for whom he played six international matches. On March 26, in a friendly 3–0 win over China, in Salamanca, he played for the senior side at only 18 years of age, making him the youngest player to play for the national team in the last 55 years. Ramos held this record until it was broken by Arsenal's Cesc Fàbregas. After an impressive debut, Ramos was awarded a place in the team which would challenge Serbia and Montenegro in an important 2006 World Cup qualifier, mainly due to the absence of club teammate Míchel Salgado. He was announced as part of the Spain World Cup squad on 15 May 2006, and eventually replaced Salgado as Spain's first-choice right-back. Throughout Spain's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, Ramos was a regular member of the starting eleven, as they finished at the top of Group D, above Sweden. He scored two goals, including one in a 3–1 away win over Denmark, in 11 appearances. In the tournament's final stages, Ramos kept his place at right-back throughout the competition. He played a crucial part in the tournament for Spain. His marauding runs helped the team's attack and solid defending helped keep vital clean sheets. In the final, his pass nearly set up Marcos Senna's first international goal but the latter barely missed it by inches. During the celebrations after defeating Germany in the final, Ramos wore a T-shirt in honor of good friend and former Sevilla teammate Antonio Puerta, deceased in August 2007. He continued in the Spanish National Team and was selected in the squad for the Confederations Cup in South Africa. Unfortunately, Spain lost to USA in the semi-finals.