5 players who could replace Sergio Ramos at Real Madrid

Modified Jul 21, 2020 16:20 GMT

Sergio Ramos is in the twilight of his career.

#2: Kalidou Koulibaly

Kalidou Koulibaly is one of the best options available to Real Madrid in their bid to replace Sergio Ramos.

The 29-year-old Senegalese international is a stoic presence at the back and is easily one of the best defenders in world football right now.

Koulibaly's skillset has a lot in common with that of Sergio Ramos, including an occasional reckless streak. But Koulibaly is dominant in the defensive third, thanks to his excellent tackling and shot-stopping abilities.

However, the Napoli centre-back will probably cost Real Madrid £100 million or more.

#1: Virgil Van Dijk

Virgil Van Dijk is, hands down, the best centre-back in the world. The Dutchman joined Liverpool and immediately improved the side. He played a key role in Liverpool reaching two consecutive UEFA Champions League finals (won one, lost one) and winning their first league title in the Premier League era.

On top of that, Virgin Van Dijk is now set to be a regular contender for the Ballon d'Or, which is something that should definitely excite Real Madrid President Florentino Perez.

Van Dijk is pacy, a great passer of the ball and nearly indomitable in the air. The 29-year-old is a hard worker and not prone to injuries either. However, Real Madrid will have to break the bank if they are to even have a chance of signing Virgil Van Dijk.

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

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Edited by Bhargav