Sergio Ramos refers to Mo Salah clash; defends himself as dark arts master

Sergio Ramos has spoken about the infamous clash with Liverpool’s Mo Salah in the 2018 Champions League final.

Salah was injured after a tangle with Ramos. The pair locked arms as they fell to the ground, with Salah taking the brunt of the weight on his shoulder.

He had to be substituted after 30 minutes and it was the turning point in the game as Real’s confidence grew as Liverpool’s waned on the way to a 3-1 defeat.

But it was not the only incident involving Ramos, who has said his conscience was clear, as he also appeared to catch goalkeeper Loris Karius in the face at a corner and his theatrics contributed to Sadio Mane’s second-half booking.

Ramos, speaking to the Daily Express, has opened up about Real Madrid’s final victory in Ukraine and on the public perception that he is master of the dark arts.

Ramos said: “I respect everybody’s opinion and it is true that sometimes people misjudge me.

“When I play against a tough rival is the most thrilling thing that can happen to me and something that I look forward to.

“When you have to go against a nice forward player or striker you have this nice duel and of course inside the right context where you don’t want to harm anyone, and with the right intention and the right heart.

“It is a game, you go to win and try to defend yourself but always inside you have respect.”