Welcome to #Euro2016Rank, a weeklong look at the top 25 players we expect to see at the European Championship. More than 50 ESPN FC experts and writers from across the globe voted, and we're rolling out the results right up to opening day, France vs. Romania, on June 10.
Why is Sergio Ramos in the top 25?
A mainstay of Real Madrid since joining the club in 2005 for €27 million from Sevilla as a 19-year-old, Ramos has won a glittering array of prizes for club and country, the latest of which was to lift the 2016 Champions League trophy to complete his first season as club captain. He played much of his career at right-back, including when Spain won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, before moving centrally, where he was outstanding when Spain defended their crown at Euro 2012. Has won three Liga titles, two Copas del Rey and the Champions League twice.
What the experts say:
"When he plays flat out he brings everything that a defender should bring for me. Defensive assurance, ball performance, strength in set pieces, leadership. He brings everything that a defender should bring, and he's one of the best." -- Jose Mourinho on Ramos 2012.
"There are defenders with technical quality, others with defensive qualities, and others who stand out in their ability to mark, like [Fabio] Cannavaro. Others like [Franco] Baresi controlled the defensive line very well. Ramos, if I had to place a quality on him, is the most complete. He has a bit of everything. Personality, skill, he manages the line well. He might be the most complete defender I've seen." -- Carlo Ancelotti on Ramos, May 2015.
Career highlight:
As well as his defending, Ramos has a penchant for scoring important goals. Real's run to La Decima, their 10th Champions League/European Cup, in 2014, saw him score two headers against Bayern Munich to power Real to the final. In Lisbon, with Atletico Madrid leading the final 1-0 in added time, it was another Ramos header that saved Real, before they went on to win 4-1.
Stat of the season:
At times a feral competitor, he has been sent off 21 times in his career, with the latest being collected after clattering Barcelona's Luis Suarez in April.
What next after Euro 2016?
Last year, he was being touted for a move away from Real Madrid, with Manchester United a very interested party. No such speculation can be expected this summer, though the question of how long his 130-plus international career will continue may well be raised.
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