If Real Madrid win the whole team wins, if Real Madrid lose only Ramos loses

While Pep Guardiola embraced a 4-4-2 system at the start of Manchester City's match against Paris Saint-Germain and was encouraged to counter-attack like the teams of athletes, Real Madrid, of which he also forms part of the haters, a debate has arisen about whether Sergio Ramos deserves to start against Chelsea on Wednesday night or not. Yes, Sergio Ramos' place is being questioned after four good games of the Nacho Fernandez-Eder Militao partnership. Little remain to be seen.

It won't happen and in the end it's good that is the case, but you can't deny that Sergio Ramos, on his own initiative, should stay, not on the bench, but in the hotel itself, given how little he has to gain as an individual due to the lack of recognition he will receive, no matter what he does.

Ramos, the captain and leader of the dressing room, who Thomas Tuchel and everyone at Chelsea expect to play, has become a problem for some by the mere fact of wanting to join in the semi-final party and contribute his knowhow and intangibles in equal measure, even though he is not at 100 percent.

The fact is that if he plays and Real Madrid win, we will nod our cap to Karim Benzema's goal, Luka Modric's class and Thibaut Courtois' saves. If the victory comes with Ramos on the bench, it will be viewed as something that was written in some manual of footballing wisdom. On the other hand, a defeat and the elimination that comes with it already has a clear culprit assigned to it: the player that wears the No.4 shirt. That if he arrived with the table set, he should not have touch anything; that he played the fool with the Spanish national team; that he made a fool of himself; that he created nonsense in the heat of the envy he arouses for the character. Nor is Zinedine Zidane's independence and ability contemplated.

A fortnight ago we saw Gerard Pique play in a cup final with hardly any training, Andres Iniesta play in the Champions League final in 2009 with a ban on shooting at goal to avoid rupturing his hamstring, Diego Costa withstand barely seven minutes in Lisbon 2014 after his famous therapy. Not a single critical voice beforehand. Nobody doubts that Ferland Mendy should be the left-back after three weeks out and, except for the tenderness that emanates from the figure of Vinicius Junior, there are also few who doubt that Eden Hazard should start as Benzema's partner as Real Madrid look to secure their place in the Istanbul final.

But it is Ramos, who has yet to renew his contract, who will break a new record today. If Real Madrid win the whole team wins; if Real Madrid lose, there is only one loser. It's normal that he has asked for a two-year extension to stay. I don't think that's enough.