Sergio Ramos played his 150th match with the Spanish national football team in the friendly against Germany, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The central defender of Spain is now 17 matches away from equaling the record of Iker Casillas, the player with the most matches played in the history of the national team with 167.
Sergio Ramos, who will turn 32 next Friday, reached the milestone of 150 matches in a special way, as he equaled the number of matches of the German Lothar Matthaüs in German territory; one of the three men who have played in five World Cups.
Ramos is about to play his fourth World Cup in Russia 2018, and he aims to catch up in four years. If his legs allow it, Ramos wants to reach Qatar 2022 wearing the captain's armband.
By then, the player hopes to have surpassed his former teammate at Real Madrid, becoming the player with the most international matches in the history of Spain.
"I'm delighted to be the captain; I hope I can stay in the national team for a long time and be the player who wears this shirt the most," said Sergio Ramos on the eve of the match.
Ramos made his international debut in a friendly against China played in Salamanca on March 26, 2005, which ended in a 3-0 victory for Spain. Alongside the Andalusian defender who then played as a right back, Luis Aragonés gave Mista and Luis García the opportunity.
The Real Madrid player, at that time 18 years old, became the youngest player to debut with Spain in the last 50 years. Three months later, at the beginning of the 2006 World Cup, the defender was already a key player for Luis Aragonés.
Ramos has maintained that label over the course of 13 years, two positions, and three different coaches, winning two European Championships (2008 and 2012), and a World Cup (2010).
Ramos spent several years of his international career as a right back until 2010, when under the management of Vicente del Bosque, he started playing in the center.
Del Bosque said, long after, that Ramos was the best player he had in both positions.
"The best right back at the Euro Cup (2008) and the best center back at the World Cup (2010)," said the former coach of La Roja to the Spanish press.