3 Reasons why Sergio Ramos has had a better career than Gerard Pique

2. Ramos is better defensively

Although Ramos and Pique have different styles of play, the former has been named the best defender by many world-class strikers. While the Spanish captain is aggressive by nature, the Catalan is more composed. The Real Madrid defender has also made it to the FIFPro XI a record 10 times.

Ramos has a better track record of successful tackles. Taking into count this season's stats, the Real defender makes 1.6 tackles per 90 minutes successfully to Pique's 0.9. The 33-year-old remains a master at making crunching goal-saving tackles. Meanwhile, the Spanish captain is also better at aerial duels with a success rate of 55%, and Ramos makes 1.6 interceptions each game to Pique's 0.9. Ramos reads the moves of opponents better than anyone else and that helps him intercept incisive passes.

Moreover, the Real Madrid defender has some pace to burn and can trackback after getting beaten to block or challenge the opposition player, which is something Pique lacks. Ramos can dribble past opponents with ease and, in addition, has excellent vision for long balls that helps him switch play with ease. The Real captain successfully completes 5.8 long balls per 90 minutes.

Also Read: A Combined XI of players playing in European capitals

About the author

Samyak is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who focuses on writing a variety of listicles. A post-graduate in Finance with over 6 years of total work experience, Samyak became interested in football after watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup and some high-octane El Clasico clashes. His favorite footballer is Cristiano Ronaldo for the forward's mentality, and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Pep Guardiola for the brand of football their teams showcase.

Samyak only follows top tier and verified fan club social media accounts for sourcing information for his articles. One of his core strengths is crafting crisp and concise articles to avoid any and all potential confusion for readers. These shrewd methods have helped him attain strong readership on his articles, one of them even being read half a million times!

Zinedine Zidane's Panenka penalty in the 2006 final is Samyak’s favorite World Cup moment owing to the Frenchman’s sheer nerves of steel showcased, and thinks Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are ready to usher in a new era post-Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. During his free time, Samyak follows Real Madrid, plays football and reads finance articles.

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Edited by Sai Teja