Ramos not worried about Salah backlash

Sergio Ramos is not concerned about any possible negative reaction in relation to his Champions League final challenge on Mohamed Salah when Spain face England at Wembley.

Ramos is set to play in England for the first time since he captained Real Madrid to a 3-1 victory over the Premier League side in Kiev –  a game defined for some by the first-half grapple that saw Reds star man Salah leave the field with a shoulder injury.

Speaking at a pre-match news conference, Ramos again maintained he did not wish to harm his opponent.

“I’m not really concerned about that,” he said when asked about the possible reaction towards him from a capacity crowd.

“I never wanted to hurt a colleague on the pitch of course, so my conscience is really clear about what I did that night. I’m not going to be affected by that at all.

“I know the English fans will treat players as they deserve and I’m not worried about that in the slightest.”

¡Súper rondo en Wembley! #UnaNuevaIlusión pic.twitter.com/b8qCjz00fI

— Selección Española de Fútbol (@SeFutbol) September 7, 2018

Another aspect of Ramos’ Madrid baggage in the spotlight this week is his relationship with new Spain head coach Luis Enrique, given their previous positions on either side of El Clasico’s bitter divide.

Former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique spoke warmly of the 32-year-old at his own briefing and Ramos was keen to return the compliment.

“Of course, I didn’t really know him personally. We had met before as rivals,” he explained.

“This first contact this week has been really good and really positive despite speculation of us both having very strong characters.

“In my experience I have always got on really well with people with strong characters and there have been really good vibes since the first day.

“We have the same objective, which is to take this national team to a higher level. I hope we can absorb all the knowledge that he brings to the team.”