Sergio Ramos helped Spain lift its first ever World Cup and that has helped the defender with a personal accolade. The 2010 FIFA World Cup threw up a series of firsts of firsts: the first on African soil, the first won by Spain and the first to be assessed second-by-second by the Castrol Index. Using advanced technology and objective analysis to evaluate every single player movement, the World Cup now has Sergio Ramos as its first Castrol Index winner.

The Spanish defender's brilliant all round game, skilfully combining attack with defence not only helped him to top spot but also saw his country win their first World Cup.

Having only conceded two goals throughout the tournament, a feat which sees them equal the record of previous winners, France (1998) and Italy (2006), it's no surprise that the Spanish back four occupy four of the top five positions.

Having had an outstanding tournament, the Spanish back line restricted the Netherlands to precious few chances, cementing their places in the CI.

Sergio Ramos believes the team spirit in the Spain camp could be key to propelling them to World Cup glory.

The European champions face Saudi Arabia in Innsbruck tomorrow in the first of three friendlies before their opening Group H match against Switzerland on June 16.

Boss Vicente Del Bosque has already named his 23-man squad for the tournament, with uncapped trio Victor Valdes, Pedro Rodriguez and Javi Martinez all included.

Real Madrid defender Ramos, a member of the side which won the European Championship two years ago, is pleased with how preparations are going.

"By now the squad has been working together a long time and know each other well," he said on the Spanish federation's website, www.rfef.es.

"We have a large pool of players, and we can all do well because we have created a distinct style for the Spanish team.

Sergio Ramos has stressed that Real Madrid do not control their destiny, and said that the best they can do is to keep on winning.

Real Madrid struggled against Real Zaragoza over the weekend, but edged out the Blanquillos 2-1 away from home, thanks to a late Kaka winner.

"I am very happy with the team's performance in what was a very complicated match. We aren't concerned about what Barcelona do," said Ramos on the club's official website.

"We know we need to win the last four matches and that we don't control our own destiny. Barcelona are currently in first place, so all we can do is continue winning."

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos admits he clashed with Lyon players after their Champions League elimination on Wednesday night.

Lyon players, furious with Ramos' "3-0" prediction before the second-leg, confronted the Real stopper in the players' tunnel after the final whistle. Real had been expectd to win comfortably, with many punters backing them to win in their sports bets.

Cesar Delgado and Lisandro Lopez demanded an apology from Ramos, who responded with insults. Real teammate Gonzalo Higuain had to step in and also traded barbs with his fellow Argentines.

"It was a typical heated argument and has stayed that way. They have asked for the same respect because you need to know how to lose also how to know to win. There was no serious abuse," confirmed Ramos.

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos gas insisted that Los Merengues must learn from their 3-2 defeat to Milan at the Bernabeu in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.

Madrid led for most of the game and dominated the play before Andrea Pirlo and Alexandre Pato led a Rossoneri recovery which ended in victory for the Italians.

"There has been a big difference in the first half where we have mastered perfectly and the second, when we got caught by their pace. In the end they knew they had to take chances," Ramos told AS.

Ramos also suggested that a repeat of the second half lapse against Milan will prove costly in the knockout stages.

"You never like to lose and less in the Champions League.We need to learn from this but it is in the first phase and nothing happens, but an error like this in the second round and we will be out,' he declared.

"We played good football in the first half and the referee should have awarded a penalty to us. We must continue to improve, be patient. We can play much better but we need time and patience. We're calm because we know people will end up enjoying our football."

Real Madrid's extravagantly assembled squad have suffered their first spate of injuries after three key players were omitted from the team’s visit to Canada and the US for their pre-season tour.

According to the club’s official website, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Fernando Gago all failed to make the cut to travel to Toronto for Los Blancos’ first game against Toronto FC on August 7 due to various injuries.

The Andaluz right-back is recovering from tendonitis in his left Achilles tendon; the Brazilian left-back is still nursing a sprained ankle; and the Argentine midfielder is dealing with a micro-muscle tear in his right adductor.

Two others who will not board the plane on Thursday will be Rafael van der Vaart and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who is reportedly on his way to AC Milan, while Ruud van Nistelrooy and Mahamadou Diarra will also stay back in Madrid to continue their rehabilitation following knee surgery late last year.

However, the club’s latest Galactico, Xabi Alonso, has been included in the squad, while Kaka also looks set to play his very first game in the famous white shirt after just returning from his holidays.

Meanwhile, it has also been reported that Sergio Ramos will miss Spain’s August 12 friendly against Macedonia.

Florentino Perez was not very well known for his defensive signings during the first Galactico era, the disaster of Jonathan Woodgate still echoing in the minds of Madridistas. But Perez struck gold when he brought Sergio Ramos from Sevilla to the Bernabeu.

Ramos is one of the most talented defenders in Spain, but is sometimes caught dreadfully out of position. The two goals he gave up to Thierry Henry in El Clasico at the end of this past season will be a difficult shadow to escape and with players like Maicon in the Madrid’s sights, Ramos’ claim to the right-back position could be in jeopardy.

While he is still superb as a central defender, he plays as a right-back for the Spanish national squad and might not be too pleased in relinquishing the spot. This year, it is up to the Sevilla youth product to secure the position as his and also stake a claim for the vice-captaincy. Picking up fewer red cards would also help his cause.

Real Madrid defender and Spain international Sergio Ramos could use today’s match against South Africa for the third place in the Confederations Cup to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of fans after the flop against the U.S. and, maybe, even re-claim a spot in the World Top 23 of defenders.

Ramos, who at some point in the past season topped the list of La Liga defenders and was among the world’s top three, has an overall rating of just 96.54 points at the moment.

The plank to beat for Ramos against South Africa will amount to 4.50 rating points. He could even re-claim a spot in the World Top 23 with a strong performance, but only if Brazil’s Lucio, who has 124.07 points, misses his plank of 9.50 rating points in the final against the U.S.