Ramos got blessings for his Sevilla return from everyone -apart from those whose opinion matters most

Sergio Ramos has signed for his first professional club, Sevilla and claimed he was coming home. He even apologized to every Sevilla fan he had annoyed during his long stint with Real Madrid. There has been many unhappy days in which bad blood had surfaced. Ramos provoked the fans in his home town, they angrily insulted him, his family and career choices. A simple apology was never going to suffice.

The messages from Kylian Mbappe saying, "The king is back." The well-wishing from his friend Iker Casillas, delighted with his move to Sevilla. The national and international media coverage with millions of interactions on social media, both from the club and from outside... The happiness of Ramos himself and his new teammates. Everything pointed to positivity. But despite Sergio Ramos' undeniable status as a football great, the player who has worn the Spanish national team jersey 180 times still has a disillusioned fanbase to win over. It's a tough task indeed - even for the all-conquering defender.

Sevilla's influential supporters group Biris Norte Ultras wrote an open letter in which they labelled the Sevilla board as money-grabbers and questioned their motivation in bringing a player who tarnished his relationship with the club, which launched him as a player.

"As an ultra group of Sevilla FC for almost 50 years, we want to express our rejection of those who proposed this signing.

We are not motivated by hatred or resentment but by love and pride for our club, its history and its fans.

We believe that the mere proposal of this signing already represented a lack of respect for the values that have made us great, for the symbols and legends that have defended our shield, and for the thousands of Sevillistas who have suffered the contempt of this player in the past.

We think that this signing benefits the interests of managers who neither understand nor understand what makes Sevilla FC great and who only look out for their personal and/or economic interests.

We want to clarify that, unlike what many have stated, at Biris Norte, we will not carry out acts such as cheering strikes or insults to any player during the games.

However, we cannot and should not show support for any act that violates the principles and dignity of Sevilla FC."

Coming home to Sevilla: Ramos said no to Saudi millions to honour his late teammate and his ancestors

Tonight, those annoyed fans will get another thorn in their collective side. Sevilla decided yesterday, hours after the Biris Norte Ultras' statement, to give the star player a grandiose unveiling and a presentation worthy of his reputation. How will the show go down with the ultras? Probably not easily. It will be Sergio Ramos' reunion with the fans who severely reprimanded him when he made that gesture towards the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan's stands after his Panenka-style penalty in a Copa del Rey match with Real Madrid in January 2017. That incident hurt many, not just the Biris.

Until yesterday, the club planned to present him as the new Sevilla player following the usual routine: in the press room to answer questions from the media and then on the pitch for a photo session, also closed to journalists. This was the same process followed with other signings in the recently closed transfer window. However, Ramos' wishes have also been considered, and the board of directors decided to open the stadium doors and throw a full-blown homecoming party.

Among Sevillistas, the prevailing sentiment in the streets, in cafe and bar conversations, on social media, and in media surveys is that Sergio Ramos is winning. However, many Sevilla fans strongly disagree with the return of the player they consider to be a traitor. And he did it wearing the jersey of the arch-enemy, Real Madrid.

A portion of Sevillistas may have accepted this return out of necessity for the team, out of pure pragmatism, due to the panic caused by the threat of relegation after last season's struggles before Jose Luis Mendilibar's arrival. Another portion of the fanbase may have accepted his apologies wholeheartedly, empathizing with the tears shed by Sergio Ramos as he remembered his grandfather, who was hurt by hatred directed at his grandson. This man had brought him up to support Sevilla. Yet another portion may have understood, in the name of goodwill, that every man deserves a second chance.

Still, thousands of those will never forgive Ramos for ever signing for Real Madrid in 2005 and for making gestures against his hometown club. There lie the uncertainties, despite his repeated apologies. After the international break, the big reunion will come in the form of the emotions of football in the Sevilla - Las Palmas match. Today, however, there will be a prologue to unravel the mysteries.

As it often happens, a player's stature among the supporters will depend on his performances. If Ramos hits the ground running and produces his trademark assured displays in a Sevilla shirt, even the non-believers would have to back down and at least tolerate the return of the prodigal son.