He toldFourFourTwo: “When certain moments arrive, there are players who fortunately have that complete confidence in themselves, who are in a rich vein of form and want to face up to such responsibility. Throughout my career I’ve always been able to take in the situation and assume that responsibility.

“You always remember the pain and the negativity after something like that. It was more in honour of my mother and my sister, who are the two that always suffer most: they deserved an eternal moment to cherish from my career, and I think that was one.”

In Kiev against Liverpool in 2018, as he collected his fourth Champions League crown, Ramos’ coronation both as one of the all-time greatest players and biggest sh*thouses was confirmed as he tussled Mohamed Salah to the ground -injuring the Egyptian’s shoulder (an action that launched a million memes), before apparently concussing goalkeeper Loris Karius in the 3-1 win.

His bullish and defiantresponses to any suggestion of wrongdoing after the gamekept the press and fans wide-eyed andentertained. Ramos’ former teammates like Fernando Hierro andPepe had developed reputations as masters of the dark arts but Ramos was on another level. He was not prepared to back down, or play nice off the pitch,well aware of how touse his sarcy wit in the press to dictate the headlines.

More than all that, though, he has been despised because he isjust so bloody brilliant.

Since the turn of the decade, Ramos has won two La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, four World Club Cups, the Copa del Rey twice (dropping one off a bus), the Euros andthe World Cup.