Luis Miguel Ramis once stepped onto a LaLiga pitch as a player, earning a debut with Real Madrid before going on to lift the title with Deportivo La Coruna. Returning to Spain's top division as a head coach has proven a far longer road — but at 56, Ramis has finally arrived, taking charge of Osasuna ahead of the new season.

"This opportunity came my way," Ramis tells Sky Sports. "I am prepared and excited for the challenge."

A club looking to bounce back

Osasuna have built a reputation as one of Spain's more admirable smaller clubs, consistently outperforming expectations through sound strategy and a productive academy. Yet last season tested that identity severely — the Pamplona side narrowly avoided relegation, finishing 17th in the table.

The summer has brought further turbulence. Victor Munoz, their standout player, has departed for Liverpool. Ramis, however, is not preoccupied with individual losses. "I want a team that has a collective spirit, is organised and balanced," he says. "We need to have a strong defensive structure and a collective mentality."

Memories of Prosinecki and Djalminha

Though a disciplined defender by trade, Ramis has always harboured a deep appreciation for football's more flamboyant personalities. He played alongside Robert Prosinecki — the mercurial Croatian who was known to smoke at half-time — at both Real Madrid and Sevilla, and recalls the experience with a smile.

At Deportivo La Coruna, he shared a dressing room with Djalminha, the free-spirited Brazilian whose brilliance helped carry the Galician club to the LaLiga title at the turn of the century. Asked whether he could manage such mavericks today, Ramis pushes back firmly.

"Not at all! They were exceptional team-mates who tried to inspire with their talent," he insists. "What mattered least of all to any of us were each other's private lives. What mattered most of all to us was that we respected each other in the dressing room."

How football has changed

Ramis acknowledges, though, that the sport has shifted considerably. "Football has evolved enormously. Talent still exists. Star players still emerge. Those with special qualities still reach the top. But there has been significant progress in terms of players' physical conditioning."

"Nutrition departments, psychology departments and improved facilities have emerged. Coaching is better too. All that makes players more complete. In the past, teams depended more on talent. Now, besides talent, you need many other qualities."

The Odegaard lesson

Ramis spent a decade working within Real Madrid's celebrated academy, La Fabrica, where he encountered some of the finest young talent in world football. One such prospect was Martin Odegaard, now the captain of Premier League champions Arsenal and one of England's most influential midfielders.

For Ramis, Odegaard's rise illustrates a truth he holds dear. "He only needed to add hard work, sacrifice and a competitive character. Today, he is a reference in England and for his national team."

"In football, the players who reach the highest level do not get there just through talent. They get there because of their work, their sense of responsibility and the personality they show in the big moments."

Building Osasuna's future

That philosophy makes Ramis a natural fit for Osasuna, a club long committed to developing and fielding home-grown players. A decade ago, the club gave more minutes to domestic players than any other side in Europe's major leagues, and several academy graduates still feature prominently in the first team.

"Spending so much time in Real Madrid's academy has given me experience in the development and progression of younger players," Ramis acknowledges. "The important thing is that if we see them as ready to play then we play them so that they can continue their progress and development and experience the level that is required to play in the top division."

His immediate priority, however, is simple: stabilise a club that suffered last season. "First of all, we want to avoid suffering the way that the team did last season. We know there will be good moments and less good moments but we want consistency in the team's behaviour and their identity."

After two decades guiding others up the ladder, the task of climbing now falls squarely to Luis Miguel Ramis himself.