Sergio Ramos was one of the noticeable face that didn’t appear in any of the photos of Real Madrid’s kit launch campaign for the 2021/22 season.
MARCA has learned that he wasn’t present at the photo shoot for the new kit, which was launched by Real Madrid and Adidas this Tuesday. While it’s true that the entire squad doesn’t attend such photo shoots, Ramos has always been a central figure in such campaigns.
It’s not known if this decision was the club’s or Ramos’ or a mutual one. It could also be the case that the photo shoot was held when Ramos was in isolation due to COVID-19, but Adidas always want as many stars as possible present and the dates would have been moved if there had been a desire for the captain to be present.
It should also be pointed out that this has nothing to do with the fact that Ramos isn’t an Adidas athlete. That hasn’t been a problem before, while players from other sportswear brands – like Vinicius and Rodrygo – did appear in the photos for the new shirt.
Ramos’ absence still doesn’t confirm that he won’t stay at Real Madrid, but it does make it seem more likely that he is leaving.
The photos were taken weeks ago, so Ramos could have agreed a contract extension since they were taken. However, that is not believed to be the case at this point in time.
Back in April of 2018, Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t take part in the shoot for the new kit, even though few suspected he would leave at that point.
He then departed the club that summer after a third Champions League in three years.
While some viewed Ronaldo’s absence as a mere anecdote, marketing experts know that the biggest stars should be present in these types of campaigns. If they’re not, then it must be for a reason.
