GOAL 

Emilio Butragueño believes Sergio Ramos will go down as a Real Madrid legend.

The defender flirted with a move away from the Spanish capital, with a move to Manchester United looking likely. However, the World Cup winner opted to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu, signing a new deal which ties him to the club until 2020.

Ramos is set to captain Madrid this season following the departure of Iker Casillas to Porto and club legend Butragueño believes he will be a great leader for the team.

"He came in from Sevilla at just 19,  but with a great personality," he told AS. "There are players who were born to be at this club and Sergio has the spirit of legendary players. He begins a new stage with the club and has all the conditions to be successful as captain of Madrid.

Butragueño, who won six league titles with Madrid as a player, expects a lot from new signing Mateo Kovacic.

"Kovacic is a talented player who has spent several years in Italy even though he is just 21. We have high expectations for him because he is technically very gifted and he will certainly be a great signing.

"When a season begins, the approach is always the same - we go out to win all the titles we can, there are very strong teams in Spain and in Europe, but we are required to do our best and to meet the expectations of our fans."