June 22, 2015 Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid star has visited Havana as part of his duty as a UNICEF ambassador. He went as part of a delegation from Spain for a working visit to the island, according to local media.
The centre back paid a visit to the Vo This Thang school in Havana on the heels of his countryman former Real Madrid striker Raul, and Brazilian soccer great Pele.
The trip included an exhibition match between the Cosmos and the Cuban national team.
Abel Carrasco, a student in Cuba was thrilled to be able to meet Ramos and have him sign his shirt. He said “Sergio Ramos is my idol and when I found out he was coming to Cuba I did everything I could to find out where he would be so I could see him,”
Another student, Javier Perez, spoke about the recent visits by notable footballers which come as Cuba enters a new era amid a normalization of ties with the United States.
“I think Sergio Ramos‘s visit has touched the hearts of Cubans and a few weeks ago we were visited by Pele, we had been visited by Raul (Real Madrid striker) and with Sergio Ramos‘s visit this has been absolute chaos, but good chaos in this case, for all Cubans and for all fans of good soccer and in this case that of Madrid‘s,”
Since June 2014 when he was appointed UNICEF Spain‘s newest ambassador, Sergio has visited child survival programs in Senegal, led and took part in solidarity matches and recorded messages of support. He has also donated personal objects and memorabilia to raise funds for UNICEF programmes.