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Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos wants the Spain fans that have booed Barcelona defender Gerard Pique to move on for the good of the national team. Pique was jeered by some Spanish supporters every time he touched the ball during Saturday's 2-0 Euro 2016 qualifying win over Slovakia at Oviedo's Carlos Tartiere stadium. It was not the first time Pique was a target of Spain fans. In June, he was booed by the crowd in Leon when Spain beat Costa Rica 2-1 in an international friendly. Many Spain fans disapprove of Pique's stance on Catalan independence and want the player to be excluded from the national team. Pique has also riled some Real supporters on occasions in the past, most recently when he joked about Cristiano Ronaldo during his team's celebrations following last season's La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League Treble success. "We all know Pique and we are not going to change him," Ramos told AS. "We are not going to get into whether what he did was right or not. "The truth is that the booing does not benefit anyone, on or off the pitch. We are here to represent our country, Spain, and we must all be together." Ramos, who is hoping to celebrate his 100th win with Spain in Tuesday's Euro 2016 Group C qualifier at Macedonia, says Pique has already proved his commitment to the national team. "We cannot reproach Pique because he gives everything on the pitch," he said. "The sooner we forget this, the better it will be because in the end, by talking about it we only allow this issue to continue." Spain coach Vicente del Bosque agrees with Ramos, telling AS: "This is something small and I don't want to give this any further importance. I've already said that I don't like for Pique to be booed. "I think Pique's situation is more down to the battle between Real Madrid and Barcelona rather than a political issue. "With the national team, he has had exemplary behaviour in 70 games. He has also played another 30 with the [Spain's] youth teams. He is a special person and we have to defend him. "If I stopped bringing him [to the national team], then I would give those that are against him the idea that they are right. Facts are worth more than words." Spain announced on Monday that their planned friendly with England will be played in Alicante rather than at the Bernabeu, which AS claims was a consequence of the Pique situation. Former Barcelona coach and player Pep Guardiola voiced his opinion on the political angle of the controversy on Tuesday, telling ABC: "If there had been a Catalonian state, I would have played for them because I am from Santpedor, but in that moment it wasn't viable. "The [Spain] national team called me up and was delighted to play my best possible game for them," said the current Bayern Munich coach.
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