Bruised Aaron Ramsey has claimed Gio van Bronckhorst's plan to make him a Rangers penalty hero against Eintracht Frankfurt left him spooked.
The Welshman was the only man to miss during the nerve-shredding spot-kick battle in Seville as Kevin Trapp's save won the tournament for Frankfurt in May 2022.
And Ramsey – breaking his silence over his chastening experience for the first time – believes he was primed and ready to make an impact long before van Bronckhorst called his number with only three minutes of extra time remaining.
Ramsey has shared his sorrow for missing on the grandest stage, however, he reckons the Dutchman's call to leave him in reserve to the final moments was the wrong decision and left him with gnawing doubt before he miscued and opened the door for the Germans to secure immortality in the searing Spanish heat.