Sergio Ramos broke down in tears in an emotional Real Madrid farewell on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Real confirmed that their long-time captain would be leaving the club after 16 trophy-laden years in the Spanish capital.

Ramos' contract has expired at the Santiago Bernabeu and he will be available on a free in the summer transfer window.

#GraciasSergio pic.twitter.com/uPoZVwTYSk

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 17, 2021

On Thursday, the former Sevilla man held a press conference alongside president Florentino Perez and was overcome with emotion as he said goodbye.

Ramos will embark on a new challenge but the 35-year-old expects to return to Real in a different capacity in the future.

"This is not a goodbye, it's a see you later," Ramos said.

"Because I will be back."

🎙 @SergioRamos toma la palabra por primera vez desde el anuncio de su marcha... y no puede evitar emocionarse 🥲

Sigue EN DIRECTO la rueda de prensa de despedida del capitán del Real Madrid: https://t.co/VWQarCNQdj pic.twitter.com/IXNA7Mrqhq

— MARCA (@marca) June 17, 2021

Sergio Ramos in tears during his Real Madrid farewell: “I’ll come back here one day, I’m sure. I want to say a huge thanks to Real Madrid, I will always carry you in my heart”. ⚪️🇪🇸 #Ramos #RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/ERWZnTmVa6

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 17, 2021

Sergio Ramos has won so many trophies that they struggled to fit them in the video frame during his press conference 😳👏 pic.twitter.com/y1zOQKuFBT

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 17, 2021

Ramos was reported to have rejected a pay cut at Real but he claims that the reason for his departure is that there was an expiration date by which his contract needed to be renewed.

"In the last months Real Madrid offered me an offer of one year with 10% less salary," Ramos explained, as per Fabrizio Romano.

Sergio Ramos: "In the last months Real Madrid offered me an offer of 1 year with 10% less salary. The money was never the problem. I wanted 2 years, then I accepted the proposal... but the contract renewal offer had an expiration date, and I didn't know about it”. ⚪️ #Ramos #Real

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 17, 2021

"The money was never the problem. I wanted two years, then I accepted the proposal... but the contract renewal offer had an expiration date, and I didn't know about it."

The Spain international joined Real in a huge €27 million move in 2005 and has gone on to make 671 appearances in 16 seasons, lifting 22 honours and scoring 101 goals from centre-back.

His innate mentality and clutch performances on the big occasion led to him becoming one of the most successful captains in football history.