Ramos reflects on heady Sevilla days

Sevilla FC's UEFA Cup triumph of 2006 heralded an era of unprecedented success for the Spanish club and their then coach, Juande Ramos.

The 4-0 defeat of Middlesbrough FC in the Eindhoven final brought the Andalusian outfit their first major honour since 1948 and signalled the start of a glorious period in which the 58-year-old guided the Liga team to a quintet of trophies, including victory in the same competition the following season.

"It was a very successful time when we managed to win five titles in 24 months," Ramos, now in charge of UEFA Europa League contenders FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, told UEFA.com. "We won two European trophies, plus the UEFA Super Cup against Barcelona and other national titles [the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup] – it was an excellent period. You experience those moments of success in a very intense way and they are very nice memories."

Though the winning margin against Middlesbrough was emphatic, it was a contest still in the balance until Enzo Maresca scored the first of his two goals 12 minutes from the end, adding to Luís Fabiano's first-half opener. "I was quite calm, because the team were playing very well," explained Ramos of his mood during the game. "They felt superior and very comfortable on the pitch and the goal had to come sooner or later.

"We were on fire during the rest of the match – we beat them 4-0, which doesn't happen often in a European final. To have such a difference between two finalists in a European competition is really hard to achieve, but the team were so incredibly confident and motivated back then."

A Frédéric Kanouté strike sealed the Rojiblancos' first piece of European silverware and sparked jubilation on the streets of Seville, a scene which would be repeated 12 months later as the side from the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán joined Real Madrid CF in becoming only the second club to retain the UEFA Cup.

Click the video above to hear more from Ramos about that historic night at the PSV Stadion