PASADENA: Veteran Monterrey defender Sergio Ramos said Monday his former team Real Madrid must be considered favourites to win the Club World Cup.
Paris Saint-Germain recently won the UEFA Champions League by thrashing Inter Milan in the final, with Liga MX side Monterrey set to face the Italians in their opener on Tuesday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
However Ramos, now 39, believes his former club, Spanish giants Madrid, are the real team to beat.
"Real Madrid are always favourites in the big competitions," Ramos told reporters ahead of the Group E clash against Inter.
"Real Madrid are the best in the world, for the level the club and players have, for the mentality that's been sewn in there for so many years."
Madrid have a new coach in Xabi Alonso as well as recent arrivals Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen.
"Xabi's arrival will be interesting, he won it all as a player and he knows how the club works. That could help him a lot in this new era," said Ramos.
Ramos said Madrid's failure to win a major trophy this season was not down to last summer's marquee signing Kylian Mbappe, whom he played with at PSG.
"In the next five or 10 years, I'd wager that Kylian will take four or five Ballon d'Or awards home," said Ramos.
The former Real Madrid captain departed in 2021 and said he would prefer not to face his former side in the United States.
"Facing off against your old team-mates is always nice but if we won't meet that would be a lot better -- and both them and us can avoid that discomfort," he added.
Madrid open their campaign in Miami on Wednesday against the Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal.