Ramos in spotlight again but Madrid need him more than ever

More than hour after the final whistle had sounded on Real Madrid's 3-0 humiliation by Eibar on Saturday, Sergio Ramos began to let rip.

Deep in the belly of the tiny 7,083-capacity Ipurua stadium, Ramos said his side's attitude had been off, their intensity lacking.

"When you don't match your opponent, you become a vulgar team," he said.

It was not the result Real wanted before they travel to Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday, when the winner is likely to go through top of Group G.

Then Ramos moved onto the anti-doping allegations published on Friday by German magazine Der Spiegel.

The most damaging among them claimed Ramos tested positive for dexamethasone after the 2017 Champions League final and failed to declare it, as is required according to World Anti-Doping Authority regulations.

Responding for the first time, Ramos said: "You can tell a lie many times over but it is still a lie."
He added: "These types of people try to stain my reputation and my professional career."
- Red-card villain -
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"There is no bad intention, he always plays fair. This is a contact sport."