'I'm finally coming home' - Sergio Ramos officially unveiled as new Sevilla player 18 years after leaving

• Ramos joins Sevilla
• Asks fans for forgiveness
• Joins after being a free-agent

WHAT HAPPENED? The veteran defender, 37, left Paris Saint-Germain after his contract with the club expired in the summer and he was a free agent before rejoining Sevilla. He lived in France for two years, making 58 matches, and twice won Ligue 1. Ramos, who was born and bred in Seville, made his senior squad debut in 2004 at the age of 19, and the following year he joined Real Madrid. The return of Sevilla's wantaway son after 16 trophy-filled years at the Bernabeu has now been officially announced.

WHAT THEY SAID: "Hello Sevillistas, today is a very special day for me, very emotional. I'm finally coming home and I'm looking forward to the moment when I can feel the Sevilla shirt and the crest on my chest again," Ramos said in his unveiling video with Sevilla.

"It's been 18 years since I left, I think I made some mistakes and I would like to take this opportunity to apologise personally and ask for forgiveness from any Sevilla fan who was offended by the things and gestures I may have done at the time. I believe that we are all in the same boat, then we are all the same family, there are too many people on the outside for us to be fighting each other. So I just want to tell you that I'm just another player, I'm here to contribute, I'm here to push in the same direction."

"I'm looking forward to wearing the Sevilla crest again, stepping out at the Sanchez-Pizjuan, and seeing you all again. I believe that it was not only a debt owed to myself, but also to my family, to my grandfather who made me a Sevillista when I was young, my father. From now on, I think there was no point in taking another course, any other direction than going back home. I hope to see you soon, I'm here to do my best and try to achieve the team's objectives. All the best."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ramos consciously declined an extravagant offer to relocate to Saudi Arabia, despite Karim Benzema, a former colleague at Real Madrid, urging him to go with Al Ittihad. He was a free agent, thus the transfer deadline on Friday did not apply to him. As per Fabrizio Romano, Ramos will earn around €1 million net at Sevilla, almost 15 times less than he’d have earned in Saudi Arabia.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

Gettyimages

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT FOR RAMOS? Ramos could very well make his return debut for Sevilla against Las Palmas on September 16 after the international break ends.