text: Sergio Ramos was the first man Carlo Ancelotti embraced at the final whistle of Real Madrid’s dramatic Champions League win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. Asked after the game when it was that he had decided to move the defender forward into midfield to cover the absence of Luka Modric, he replied: ‘The minute after I found out Modric was injured’. The two kept it between themselves and it worked on the night. Ramos is one of those players for whom the old Liverpool song about Jamie Carragher ‘We all dream of a team of Carraghers’ would be appropriate. He could play in every single position on the pitch. Sergio Ramos (left) celebrates with Javier Hernandez (centre) and Pepe after Real's winning goal . Ramos gees up the crowd during another all-action display at the Santiago Bernabeu for Real Madrid . It was a fiery Madrid derby on Wednesday night, but Ramos (left) once again proved his worth to Real . He often fools around in goal at Spain training. He started his Real Madrid career as a right back and won the European Championship there for his country. He has filled in at left-back, can play across the midfield and actually started his youth football career as striker. Had he been born British he would probably have grown up as a box-to-box midfielder. In Spain midfielders who have pace and can head and tackle often end up at centre-back and that is where he has settled. On Wednesday when his team needed him he was pitched into midfield and he let no-one down. And that’s the thing about Ramos. He very rarely lets anyone down. He is Real Madrid’s Carles Puyol – the all-action hero who rises above everyone else in in the penalty area in the Champions League final and heads in a corner that equalises Atletico Madrid’s 1-0 lead in injury time, allowing Real to play out extra-time and score three more to lift the trophy. Ramos heads away from his own penalty area, but spent most of the game marshalling the midfield . The makeshift midfielder holds off Atletico Madrid's Koke during a superb display in the middle of the park . And when does fall short as he did from the penalty spot against Bayern Munich in 2010 in the Champions League semi-final when he sent his kick – at least as far as Twitter was concerned – into outer space, he has the guts to take another one in the European Championship final a couple of months later, and not only score but dink it Panenka style over the keeper’s dive. He has been mocked in the past for his Colemanballs comments that usually amount to declaring himself ‘happy with the three points’ after a cup game or ‘looking forward to the second leg’ after a league game, but even those who have in the past mocked him have come to admire him. It always seemed that even Jose Mourinho during his fall-out with Iker Casillas could never really properly fall out with Casillas' ally Ramos because there was too much about him that he admired. Ramos too, while ultimately siding with Spain team-mate Casillas, always saw the worth of a bold and proactive manager. The Spanish centre-back celebrates his crucial, last-minute goal in last year's Champions League final . Ramos has shown character to bounce back from his errors, as his penalty for Spain in 2012 showed . His supporters believe he stands for a dignity that many feel is disappearing from the game. ‘I like managers to be nice guys but I also like them to have balls’ he said of Ancelotti’s decision to play him out of his usual position against Atletico. ‘We would both have never heard the end of it had we been knocked out’ he said after that 1-0 win with him deployed to win aerial duels with Mario Mandzukic who Ancelotti had noted dropped back into midfield to get on the end of Atletico keeper Jan Oblak’s drop kicks. Real now have nine games left if they reach the Champions League final. Ramos will play in all of them no doubt. He may even cover for Modric again with the midfielder not back for another five weeks; he will play as an auxiliary striker if Real Madrid need a late goal, and he’ll go in goal if the emergency presents itself. Someone really should teach Real Madrid supporters that song: ‘We all dream of a team of Sergios’
target: Sergio Ramos was superb in midfield during win over Atletico Madrid .
  Ramos is filling in for injured Luka Modric in central role .
  Real Madrid legend is primarily a centre-back, but can play elsewhere .
  Spain star started his career up front, and even fools around in goal .