Spain

Tom Oldfield

Coming into Euro 2008, Spain were among the favourites – as they so often are for big tournaments. Yet the usual concerns were voiced by pundits. They always choke at the vital moments. They wilt against physical teams. They have weaknesses in defence.

Just over three weeks later, Luis Aragones’ players were lifting the trophy and ending a 44-year wait for a major international prize. The celebrations showed just how much it meant to the players. They had finally overcome the ‘ghosts’, as Spanish newspaper Marca put it, and realised their vast potential. It was certainly a victory for attacking football.

Holding their nerve at crucial moments, such as the penalty shootout against Italy in the quarter-finals, was certainly a real team effort. But dealing with the physical side of the game and improving defensively can be attributed to the performances of several players in particular.

And Sergio Ramos was one of them. His displays at right back were key as Spain gathered momentum in the latter stages of the competition and he was especially impressive in the semi-final against Russia as the Spaniards dispatched Guus Hiddink’s side.

He provided tireless support to the attack with raiding, overlapping runs and showed the technical quality of his game with some excellent crosses and pinpoint passes. At the other end, his aerial prowess was a huge benefit to his centre-backs as they tried to cope with Italy’s Luca Toni in the quarter-finals and he got his head to countless crosses through the tournament, clearing dangerous deliveries.

He and Marcos Senna were real steadying influences in Spain’s rearguard while Ramos’ understanding with club colleague goalkeeper Iker Casillas was another plus for the team. The pain of crashing out of the World Cup against France – when hopes had been so high – was eased and the party could begin.

Ramos was a graduate of the Sevilla youth set-up and burst onto the scene, playing at right-back, as the Spanish side punched well above their weight and surprised some of La Liga’s top clubs.

It took little time before the elite sides began to show interest in Ramos’ obvious talent and countless rumours circulated during the close season. However, it was still somewhat surprising to see Real Madrid pay around £21 million to bring him to the capital in 2005.

It put a lot of pressure on Ramos to justify the price tag and moving to Madrid meant a big change in surroundings. At first it was a struggle as he lined up at centre-back – a position he was comfortable with but had not played too often at Sevilla. Real placed such emphasis on attack that the defence was regularly left exposed yet Ramos and company were still expected to keep clean sheets.

One particularly humbling night saw Barcelona talisman Ronaldinho run rings round the Spaniard and his defensive colleagues, leaving the volatile Madrid supporters fuming. It was the kind of match that will have given the Real back four nightmares for weeks.

Yet gradually Ramos imposed himself and his physicality, pace and strength in the tackle earned him plenty of admirers at the Bernabeu. His pin-up looks also generated a lot of attention from female fans.

As Ramos’ talent blossomed, the arrival of inspirational Italian Fabio Cannavaro, German Christoph Metzelder and Portuguese Pepe (all central defenders) meant that the Spaniard was eventually shifted across to right-back again. It allowed him to return to his end-to-end style of play, bursting forward to support on the right wing.

Real won La Liga in 2007 despite a tense finish as Barcelona and Ramos’ former club Sevilla pushed them very close. They retained the title in 2008 and the defender’s performances were once more particularly impressive. He even scored twice in the final match of the season again Levante. Such exploits ensured that his name was one of the first on the team-sheet for club and country.

However, the Champions League continues to prove a disappointment for Ramos and his team-mates. But the feeling remains that their poor run of results must end soon and that another run to the final is imminent. Just watching Euro 2008 showed how much talent the Madrid squad possesses. Holland were fired by Real trio Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Ruud van Nistelrooy, Pepe performed well for Portugal and, of course, Ramos and Casillas were victorious with Spain.

The future is undoubtedly very bright for Ramos. He is still just 22 years old and is getting better every season. With speculation constantly linking Cristiano Ronaldo with a move to Real, he and the Spaniard would hypothetically be paired down the right flank for the La Liga champions. However, Sir Alex Ferguson is supposedly an admirer of Ramos’ talent and so a bid from Manchester United for the defender would not be out of the question. Real, though, are sure to put a big price on the defender’s head.

Certainly, Premiership strikers will be hoping the Spaniard stays at Madrid as a back four of Ramos, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra would surely be the best in world football. Gary Neville continues to struggle with injury and Ferguson appears to be pursuing other options in case his club captain fails to return. Sir Alex would struggle to find a better replacement than Ramos.