Ramos tops list of defenders to have scored in European finals
The Madrid centre-back overtakes Coke, Tommy Gemmell, Phil Neal and Gille Van Binst, all of whom found the net twice in European finals.
'History which you made, history to come' - so go the lyrics to Real Madrid's La Décima hymn - words which ring true for Sergio Ramos. The Andalucian centre-back is now the defender to have scored most goals in the history of European finals - which includes the Champions League/European Cup, Europa League/UEFA Cup), Cup Winners' Cup and Super Cup. That history started in Lisbon (92’48’’), continued in Milan (14’25’’) and Trondheim (92’35’’).
Ramos' stoppage-time equaliser in Tuesday's Super Cup final means he has overtaken Tommy Gemmell, Phil Neal, Gilbert Van Binst and Jorge Andújar 'Coke', all of whom managed to find the net twice in European finals despite not being players who generally didn't tend to overstep the halfway line too often.
Gemmell scored for Celtic in the European Cup final against Inter Milan in 1967 and in the 1970 final against Feyenoord.
Penalty-kick virtuoso Phil Neal played as a right-back for Liverpool in the 1977 and 1984 European Cup finals, scoring the winner from the spot against Borussia Mönchengladbach to hand the Reds 'Ol' Big Ears' for the first time, then stabbing in the opener, curiously at the same venue - the Olimpico in Rome, against Roma seven years later. Neal also converted his kick in the penalty shootout after the match ended level, but shootout goals are not recognized by UEFA.
Van Binst's goals came in the same match - the 1978 European Cup Winners' Cup final with Anderlecht's fabled 1970s side. He followed a Rob Rensenbrink first-half brace with an angled strike on the half-time whistle and a sensational, long range effort in the dying moments to hand the Belgians the trophy for the second, and last time.
The latest defender to join the list was Sevilla's Coke, who three months ago scored twice in the Europa League final against Liverpool at St. Jakob Park.
As for Real Madrid's all-time goal-scoring defenders, Ramos is the third to have scored most goals for the club - 59 in 479 games. Ahead of him are two club legends - Roberto Carlos (68) and Fernando Hierro (127).