Former Argentina defender Ivan Ruggeri admits he's a fan of Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.

The ex-Boca Juniors defender, who won 97 caps for Argentina, believes that the team were missing a player of Ramos' ability.

"Argentina and Messi, with Ramos means a World Cup," Ruggeri told ESPN. "He [Ramos] is a monster.

"If Argentina had Ramos in defence, they would be world champions. With Messi and how he was, without a doubt. He is a phenomenon.

"I would like to have a player like Ramos in my national team. If we had a player like Ramos today, we would be contenders for every World Cup.

"We had good central defenders but not the best of all time. Ramos is the best. It would have been nice if he were Argentine. He is better than me, the number one. He is above everyone."