The captain must play while the commander's away

The commander is at rest. Cristiano Ronaldo will not play against Valladolid, because prevention, as they say, is better than cure. Who will be playing is Sergio Ramos, the controversial figure at the centre of all the buzz regarding Florentino's €60m 'For Sale' sign placed on him. As well as his new price-tag, he will also be wearing the captain's armband this weekend.
Ramos is a man who knows the rules. If he didn't, at just 27, it would be impossible to have played 367 official games for Real Madrid and to have worn the Spain team's jersey 115 times. He knows that although at times you have to raise your voice in the dressing room or post a well-timed tweet every now and then, where you really have to do your talking is on the pitch.
The Bernabéu is the best place for him to say what he wants. The stands will be expectant, all eyes and all ears open. They know that their captain can do a lot more after yet another sending off in the Galatasaray game.
The man from Seville wants to put an end to all the talk about him. For this reason, in answer to allegations that he had avoided the pFlorentino, he posted a video showing him greeting the president. What he can't deny is the cooling of the relationship due to disagreements over the player's renovation.
Ancelotti only had words of praise for him. Ramos, however, knows the codes of football as well as he does those of the street, and doesn't need anyone to defend him. He will do that for himself tonight. And knowing him, we shouldn't rule out the odd defiant gesture if he manages to score.