As goalscoring defenders go, Sergio Ramos is right up there with the best in the world.

Over the last few years, the Real Madrid star has developed a tendency for popping up at vital times to find the back of the net.

It's hard to believe that since moving to the Bernabeu in 2005, Ramos has scored 68 goals across all competitions from centre-back - a tally that some strikers would be proud to reach for Los Blancos.

Arguably the most important of those strikes came in the 2014 Champions League final to take the tie against Atletico Madrid into extra-time.

And even this year, the 31-year-old has chipped in with a career-best 10 goals so far for Zinedine Zidane's side.

Standing at 6' 00", Ramos is far from a giant of the game and yet his presence and aerial threat can be extremely difficult to stop.

So what's his secret?

Well, according to former Real assistant manager Paulo Campos, David Beckham and Ronaldo can claim some credit for making him the predator he is today.

Campos was Vanderlei Luxemburgo's right-hand man at the Bernabeu during the 2005-06 season and revealed just how hard Ramos worked to improve his game.

The Spanish international made a point of staying behind after training most days to practice finishing with Beckham, Ronaldo and Iker Casillas.

During a period when some of the Galacticos were at the peak of their powers, a 19-year-old Ramos wasn't going to waste a second of their expertise.

“When training had finished, Sergio always stayed on with [Iker] Casillas, Ronaldo and Beckham, working on crosses, free-kicks and finishing,” Campos told ESPN Brasil, as per The Sun.

“At least three times a week they did this for 40 minutes, until they were exhausted. Sergio always wanted to be training with the best guys.

"He was always watching them closely in training, he always wanted to learn and improve."

That precious time working alongside legends of the game have certainly stood him in good stead for the rest of his career.

Ramos will be hoping to take another step closer to winning a third Champions League when Madrid take on Bayern Munich later on.

As his former coach, Carlo Ancelotti will be well aware of the threat the Los Blancos star poses but Campos has offered some advice on the best way to keep him quiet.

The Brazilian coach added: “He’s not that tall but his timing is extraordinary and his vertical leap is absurd.

“It seems the ball always goes to him, but actually he understands where it will be."

“It’s so difficult to defend against. You need to find a way to nullify the move.

“If I was the coach, I would put one man stuck right on him and another nearby watching the flight of the ball towards him.”

Simple enough, right?