SOCCER
Ramos tells Messi: "You can stay at my house" after ex-Barcelona star's arrival at PSG
Sergio Ramos has reportedly offered new PSG teammate Lionel Messi a place to stay while he looks for a new house in Paris.
It may still be hard for some Real Madrid and Barcelona fans to process: former Clásico captains Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi - once arch enemies on the pitch - are now teammates in Paris.
Having shared many a heated tussle down through the years, Ramos and Messi will now share a dressing room at PSG, where it is hoped the pair’s combined experience will greatly help the club in its quest for its first-ever Champions League title.
Back in March, as the rumor mill surrounding Messi’s Barcelona exit continued to turn, Ramos jokingly offered Messi a place to stay if he chose to join Real Madrid.
"He could stay at mine for the first week or so,” the 35-year-old defender said on Twitch. "He can find his feet and get comfy, I'd be more than happy to do that.” A month later Messi played in what would turn out to be his last Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu, where Madrid won 2-1 in the absence of their injured captain Ramos.
See also
Ramos “admires and respects” Messi
Fast-forward four months and it appears that the former Madrid defender has once again offered the Argentine striker a place to stay, only this time it appears the offer is for real.
According to El País journalist Juan Irigoyen, Ramos has already contacted Messi - who just landed in Paris this week after signing for PSG - to offer up his home to the ex-Barca captain and his family while they look for a new residence in the French capital.
"If you and your family prefer to be in a house rather than in a hotel, you can stay at mine," the 35-year old defender reportedly told his new teammate, with Irigoyen citing sources close to Ramos.
“Sergio admires and respects Leo a lot. Before, the situation was what it was, now he will defend him as one of his own,” the source added.
According to the El País report, PSG are currently taking care of finding Messi a new home, while also searching for suitable schools for his three sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.
Messi, Ramos now have common mission at PSG
After years of Clásico rivalry, offering Messi a place to stay would appear to be a wise attempt from Ramos to bury the hatchet as the pair prepare to take up arms together for their new club, where both will be hungry to taste Champions League glory once again.