Oral Tracey | Sergio Ramos, the X factor

As an ardent Liverpool fan, I was hopeful that my team could pull off the unlikely upset in the UEFA Champions League final and derail the mighty Real Madrid's three-peat, but truth be told, I was never confident of victory. Real Madrid had everything going in their favour, while Liverpool had precious little.

Madrid has arguably the best-assembled squad in world football, with superior quality players in all areas of the pitch. Liverpool had a great run but were always punching above their weight by basically riding the luck of the draw, as well as making perfect use of their unique home atmosphere, while Real Madrid were battle-hardened in eliminating heavy hitters such as Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, and Bayern Munich, inclusive of winning big games on the road. Liverpool, playing away from Anfield against the seasoned Madrid campaigners, were always facing an uphill battle.

Jurgen Klopp's men gave it their typical all and indeed had the defending champions on the back foot until the game-changing drama in minute 25, when that consummate football leader and great warrior Sergio Ramos produced another critical intangible moment.

Some months ago, there was a vigorous debate about the greatness of Sergio Ramos as a player. I said it then, and I maintain that all things considered, the Real Madrid captain is arguably the greatest defender of the current era. A pronouncement vehemently rebuffed by my colleagues on the grounds that Ramos' positional play is poor due to tendency to attack and getting caught out of position, thus, forcing him into making critical mistakes, including committing cynical and professional fouls, which often result in excessive yellow and red cards.

I tried my best to rescue my colleagues from their shallowness of thought by pointing out that it is not by chance that Sergio Ramos has been instrumental in his respective teams winning every major title in world football. He is the captain and leader of the 'Gal·cticos' Madrid team that just created history by winning three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles. Ramos was also a critical cog in the wheel of the Spanish national team that won back-to-back European championships in 2008 and 2012, as well as the ultimate one, the FIFA World Cup title in 2010.

For all his weaknesses, Ramos brings more positives than negatives to all the teams he represents. Take Sergio Ramos out of Real Madrid and Spanish national teams and they probably would have lost half of the titles they've won.

WINNING MOMENT

That professional foul that effectively took out the talismanic Mohamed Salah at a point in the game when Liverpool were in the ascendancy blunted the Liverpool attack and totally discombobulated their game plan and their confidence in executing it. That seemingly obnoxious move by Ramos might well have been the game-changing and title winning moment of the final.

There was also another big moment that has gone unnoticed. In the 49th minute of the game, with the scores locked at 0-0, Ramos ventured forward, and in contesting a cross, deliberately applied subtle elbow contact to the face of the Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius, who was clearly upset with the challenge, and proceeded to remonstrate with the referee. Needless to say, the very next minute, a clearly rattled Karius presented the first of two gifted goals to the Spanish giants. Two key Liverpool players on the night, the substituted Salah and the rattled goalkeeper Karius, both had their games directly and negatively impacted by Sergio Ramos, the net effect being that Real Madrid and Ramos are champions again.

The importance and value of a player like Ramos to his teams are often overshadowed by the celebrated goalscorers and the midfield magicians who get all the attention and the accolades. Sergio Ramos is the king of intangibles. On Saturday, he executed brilliantly and effectively in yet another big championship final, not by scoring a crucial goal or taking a red card for the team, but without a doubt, his unpunished challenge on Salah and his unnoticed elbow of Karius were eventually crucial in helping his team secure yet another massive football title. Even as a Liverpool fan, I wish I had the great Sergio Ramos in every team I support.