Ramos reacts after exclusion from Spain’s Euros squad

SPAIN captain Sergio Ramos has reacted after being excluded from the European Championships squad by boss Luis Enrique.

The talismanic central defender was not named in the 24-man squad by Luis Enrique for the upcoming tournament in what was the headline news from Monday’s squad announcement.

Ramos, 35, is the most capped player in the history of the Spanish national team with 180 appearances, but he has struggled with injuries this season, making just 15 league starts and only once since 9 January.

“After a tough few months and a strange season unlike anything I have experienced in my career comes the Euros,” Ramos wrote on social media.

“It pains me not to have been able to help my team more and not to play for Spain but, in this case, the best thing to do is rest, fully recover and come back next year like we’ve always done. It hurts not to represent your country, but I have to be honest and sincere.

“I wish all my teammates the very best of luck and I hope we have a great Euros. I’ll be another fan cheering on from home. A big shout to everyone and #VivaEspaña and #HalaMadrid always!”

Apart from the exclusion of Ramos, no Real Madrid player is in the Spain squad, as right-back Dani Carvajal, central defender Nacho Fernandez and forward Marco Asensio were all dropped.

It is the first major finals in which Spain have not included a player from the club.

Spain squad

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), David de Gea (Manchester United), Robert Sanchez (Brighton)

Defenders: Jose Gaya (Valencia), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Pau Torres (Villarreal), Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City), Eric Garcia (Manchester City), Diego Llorente (Leeds), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago Alcantara (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Fabian Ruiz (Napoli), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid)

Forwards: Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Alvaro Morata (Juventus), Gerard Moreno (Villarreal), Ferran Torres (Manchester City), Adama Traore (Wolves), Pablo Sarabia (Paris St-Germain)