Aaron Ramsey pins Rangers blame on Gio for Europa League Final woe and claims he was spooked in Seville

The Welshman was the only man to miss during the nerve-shredding spot-kick battle in Seville.

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.

Speaking to Four Four Two, he said: “I just wish that I’d played longer in the final. I felt I could have brought something different to the table had I come on a bit earlier. I was essentially brought on solely to take a penalty in the shootout, which I’m not sure is the best idea. That played on my mind as I went to take it, instead of being clear about where I wanted to put it. I’m still gutted that I missed that penalty and gutted for the fans that we couldn’t lift the trophy for them.”

But Ramsey insists he has fond memories of Rangers despite an injury-ravaged stay which resulted in the defeat in Seville as well as Ange Postecoglou's Celtic regaining their title 12 months after losing the league by 25 points. But he looks back at the Scottish Cup Final with fondness as he bowed out of Ibrox in the aftermath. He added: “I was really excited to go to Rangers – I wanted to experience the Old Firm derby and I knew they were playing in the Europa League, which I was pretty excited about. I had a couple of injuries during my time there, which made it difficult to get into any kind of rhythm. I [also] had a horrible case of Covid shortly before I signed, which meant I didn’t arrive in the best shape and it was no surprise that my body broke down. “It was frustrating but I still made some great memories – the incredible run to that final, playing in an Old Firm game, scoring in an Old Firm game and lifting the Scottish Cup….it’s a special club.”