Why Ramos is so important to Real Madrid

There was a time when Sergio Ramos was especially good for jokes. One went like this: “The Nasa thanks Sergio Ramos. With his penalty in space, he changed the course of a dangerous meteorite.“ The joke dates back to 2012. The defending champion of Real Madrid threw the ball into the clouds against the Bavarians in the Champions League on penalties, later Schweinsteiger scored, the Bavarians were in the final, and Ramos had to listen to ridicule and hammer.

But hardly anyone remembers that in Madrid today. Ramos is the rock in defense and a punch-proof penalty shooter. Should Real Madrid win the championship this Thursday (9pm at DAZN) with a win in the home game against FC Villarreal, this would be to a large extent a credit to the captain.