Ramos: Pique tarnishes himself when he stirs things up with Real Madrid criticism

Sergio Ramos says Gerard Pique undermines his own comments when he criticises Real Madrid.

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The Barcelona defender often attracts attention for being outspoken with the media and provoked an angry reaction when he claimed there is an agenda within Spanish football in favour of the capital club and at the expense of the Catalans.

The Blaugrana have had severe off-field issues recently, with Lionel Messi and Neymar the subject of legal trials, and Pique caused a stir when he told reporters: "It wrangles me to see the individual who is involved with the indictment of Messi and Neymar sitting in the VIP section of the Santaigo Bernabeu stadium".

While Ramos acknowledges his Spain team-mate has no issue with Madrid's players, he feels he creates unnecessary trouble with his extreme claims.

"I’m a very temperamental person but when you are wearing the captain’s armband for Real Madrid or the national team, it’s best to express yourself in a different way," he told beIN Sports. 

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"You have to maintain a sense of unity – a good atmosphere where everyone feels happy is one of the keys to success, and that’s something you shouldn’t lose.

"I think Pique, apart from the odd personal remark, has never had a bad opinion about any of my team mates at Real Madrid but obviously when he attacks Real Madrid, our club and our institution it kind of tarnishes all of the rest of what he says.

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"These are things that can be avoided and he shouldn’t really be saying but I think that Gerry, when everything is calm, he needs to have that extra little dig, just to stir things up!

"For me, as a captain, I have to maintain equilibrium and a good atmosphere within our national team because if I don’t, maybe we won’t end up qualifying for Russia and we’ll end up staying at home."

Ramos' Madrid are in a strong position in La Liga, sitting three points ahead of Barcelona with one game in hand as the season approaches its end.