Antonin Panenka: Sergio Ramos takes the best Panenka penalties LaLiga Santander - Real Madrid Interviewed by Goal

The inventor of the curious technique of chipping a penalty casually down the middle, Antonin Panenka, has lauded Sergio Ramos as the best current player at recreating his party-piece.

It was made famous by the Czech international at the 1976 European Championship as he scored in the shootout in the final to win the cup for his country.

As well as praising the Real Madrid captain for his heroics from the spot, he also told Goal how the idea for the kick came into being.

"I love it [when Ramos does it] and I think that he has done it several times already, like in the European Championship in 2012," he said.

"I think he could be my best 'imitator', the player who best takes Panenka penalties because he has done it so much.

"People know about it but he still manages to do it again and that is great.

"For me, I practiced it for two years before the Euros in '76. I just noticed that all goalkeepers always dived to one side or the other so it would be nice to put it down the middle.

"Our goalkeeper was very good at saving penalties so I was always losing bets: money, chocolates, that kind of thing.

"So I started using my little trick and suddenly I started to win the bets more and more often.

"I even got fat from all the chocolates I won!"

Panenka also revealed that he is a big fan of the game in Spain and is always eager to tune in to LaLiga Santander action.

"I love Spanish football and even when there aren't many goals, I always find things of interest in every league game," he added.

"There is good passing and control and technique. I almost played in Spain too, Real Murcia wanted to sign me but in the end, it didn't happen."