If a modern footballer competes in enough tense knockout matches, sooner or later he faces a penalty shoot-out.
If he is courageous, he will volunteer to take an early part in it. If he stays gallant through more and more of these tests of nerve, he has a high chance of being the poor fellow who fluffs his spot-kick.
Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo know what that feels like.
Four seasons ago, they both failed from the spot in the tie-breaker of a Uefa Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich. Ramos messed up with a particularly airy, skied effort that made him the subject of cruel taunts from opposition fans for months afterwards.
Redemption, for the pair of them, came late on in Milan.
Ramos scored the fourth of Real Madrid's penalties in the roulette to decide which Madrid club would win the 61st edition of the European Cup. After Atletico's Juanfran had hit the post, Ronaldo, never insensitive to a chance to put himself centre stage, had the opportunity to strike the kick to clinch the trophy.
Real’s 11th European Cup, two years after they beat the same Atletico in extra-time to win their 10th, will not be remembered as their most spectacular triumph in a competition that, through the generations, inspires their footballers like no other.
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There is too much intimacy with Atletico to allow great swagger or sustained confidence to build over long stretches of these tetchy derbies. Real’s marginal gains on Saturday were won by guile, notably the clever, rehearsed manoeuvre that led to Ramos’s goal early in the first half.
Atletico, canny at scoring from set-pieces themselves, were disappointed to concede from a dead-ball, Ramos poking in after Gareth Bale had skilfully headed on Toni Kroos’s free-kick.
Ramos, in his familiar role of wide-eyed aggressor against a pugnacious Atletico for periods of the evening, led his side well overall. His early goal gave Real the initiative and in the absence of a dominant Ronaldo, who saved his only special moment for the very last kick of the game – his penalty – or an inspired Karim Benzema, his team needed his leadership.
History will celebrate Ramos now as a Real Madrid great: he scored the late equaliser to take the final in Lisbon two years ago into extra-time. His imprint on finals is not quite yet that of an Alfredo Di Stefano, but he, a central defender, has now scored as many goals in winning finals of the European Cup as the legendary striker and skipper, Raul.
Ramos was named man of the match. There was not a long queue of alternative candidates. It was not a vintage night for Madrid’s feted ‘BBC’, the forward line of Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo, although Bale, with his lively start, his set-up for the goal, and two efforts that, later on, drew alert saves from Jan Oblak, regularly troubled Atletico.
Atletico came back, as they tend to, to equalise with just over 10 minutes of normal time remaining, to carry the final into extra time and beyond.
But the most impressive comeback completed at San Siro was that of Real Madrid.
Back in January, this Real was a long way from what they ought to be with footballers of the calibre of the BBC, of Ramos, of Kroos, Marcelo and Luke Modric on the roster. They had sacked their coach, Rafa Benitez; they had been dumped out of the Copa del Rey because of an administrative error; they stood well beneath Barcelona in Primera Liga, and were trailing Atletico too.
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But under a novice coach, Zinedine Zidane, they shrugged off a 1-0 loss to Atletico in March’s city derby in the league and they recovered from a two-goal defeat in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Wolfsburg.
They have won each of their 13 games since then.
“I thought I was very lucky when I asked to take over such a talented squad,” Zidane reflected in the early hours of Sunday.
He had seemed calm all through Saturday’s tense 120 minutes and a nerve-wracking shoot-out in which the young substitute Lucas Vazquez bravely took the first spot-kick.
“I had my moments of worry,” Zidane ssaid. “But now I feel happy, very happy. I have been with this club a long time, and I won this title as a player with Madrid. This club has given me a lot.”
Real will, as of today, start asking from still more from their coach with the Midas touch. Zidane has started his touchline career with the biggest prize of all.
His next challenge is to wrest momentum within Spain from Liga holders, Barcelona, and to watch out for how a downcast Atletico regroup, as they certainly will.
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