Sergio Ramos pulls the trigger as Real Madrid embrace Russian roulette.

Casemiro couldn't look, but pretty much everyone else could see. Crouched right in the center, the Real Madrid midfielder turned his back and raised his hands to his face. On the left, Éder Militão was at his side, gently placing his hand on his shoulder. Fifty yards away, Athletic's Iker Muniain was walking, his blood boiling. “Explain then,” he was demanding. Always the same. Not even you can understand. And to his left, Sergio Ramos was waiting for a penalty, blood was flowing. He was 12 yards from goal or “11 meters closer to the title” as Marca put it, which was easy to say afterwards.

It's easy to tell at the time too, at least for some. There were 17 minutes left, just over four games to go at the end of the longest season, and it was 0-0 at the venue they call the Cathedral – the last major hurdle between Madrid and the league. There was a lot at stake, but if Casemiro was nervous, he needn't be. There was silence, the place is not the same when the only spectator is Pichichi's bust. And Ramos has been here before: only Paco Gento has won more times at San Mamés, and not for long, as these moments and this place have become his.

Tattooed on Ramos' ribs is the phrase "I am the master of my own destiny". He owned them too, and who better? Asked on Sunday what he thinks about when he expects a penalty, he replied: "Just the three points". He added, “These moments of greatest uncertainty are when I feel most comfortable; I'm the right person for this, delighted to do it. If the first part wasn't entirely true, the second definitely was.

When he sent a penalty over the bar against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League semi-final, denying Madrid a place on the back as their obsession with their 10th European Cup stifled them, Ramos told his brother Rene that next time I would show them; The next time he would come in, it would shut them up. That's what he did – in the Euros semi-final two months later. I must say, Captain, I have to admire your balls.

Maybe later. He has conceded many penalties since then and many have been Panenkas. Since Cristiano Ronaldo left, he has taken almost all of them. At first this might have been a bit forgiving, but not anymore. Ramos said thinking it's "logical" looked cold and that taking penalties seems smart now, an act of efficiency. Last Thursday, he scored the 79th-minute strike that defeated Getafe 1-0, his 19th consecutive – and two more on penalties – in over two years. He scored against Croatia, Norway, Sweden and Romania; Sevilla, Galatasaray, Eibar, Real Sociedad, Valladolid and Getafe, twice against Atlético, Celta and Girona, three times against Leganés. Now he had another against Athletic.

When the ball went past, Ramos ran off, pulling his Madrid badge and screaming. Most of his teammates ran towards him, but Casemiro did not. Hearing the ball hit the net, he fell to his knees, alone, covered his face and prayed.

He knew what that meant. Madrid were seven points clear, and although Barcelona cut it to four with a 4-1 win at Villarreal, Quique Setién conceded: "That was a performance we needed earlier." Now what they need is a miracle. “In the bag”, published the headline of AS. For once, it didn't seem particularly premature. Madrid have four games left – Alavés (h), Granada (a), Villarreal (h), Leganés (a) – and a four-point lead, as well as head-to-head. They can afford to lose points twice. They haven't gone down one bit since lockdown when Ramos learned to play the piano and grew a beard you could hide a hamster in. They won seven games in a row – and that, Zinedine Zidane said, "is no small feat".

This would be just Madrid's third title in 12 years. During this period, they won four European Cups. And here's a tentative theory, tentatively proposed: when the league became a Champions League, they won; when the season turns into a new tournament, independent and (re)starting in the summer : shorter, compact and compressed in a few weeks, the reward is there. Eleven "finals" Ramos called them, and while that's an empty cliché, this time it felt meaningful. More of their stuff. The relentless schedule, no time to think. Just win. Only. To obtain. Through.

They had to be close enough, of course. In previous years, the league had already ended in March. This season, Madrid had only lost three times before the lockout and went undefeated between October and February. There's a reason they have a better head-to-head record. A guaranteed classic win and draw pre-pandemic symbolized change – even if, beaten by Betis just before everything stopped, they also needed Barcelona. Once would; three times the boardroom, a crisis was a bonus.

And yet there's something about the restart reminiscent of the Champions League, where Madrid have been so dominant, offering something immediate and tangible to latch onto the finish line in sight with no room for error. Like they like life on the edge – Russian roulette focusing the mind, making it who they are.

Madrid have won all seven games since their return. He didn't always shine – although he was excellent in the second half against Valencia – and on Sunday night the focus returned to the referees, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu finding a place to hide in the grievances that VAR decisions since the restart have not been "equal" and that "the same team always benefits".

Madrid stayed on top with a win in San Sebastián, as they were awarded a penalty when Vinícius went down, scored the winner after Karim Benzema controlled the ball with his shoulder/arm and where Real Sociedad had an Adnan Januzaj goal ruled out for offside against Mikel Merino. Against Valencia, Rodrigo Moreno's goal was ruled out for yet another offside. And against Athletic on Sunday, Madrid were awarded a penalty when Dani García walked in and tripped Marcelo, while Athletic weren't when Ramos accidentally stepped on Raúl García. Iñaki Williams was unimpressed. Neither does Munian. “We are looking at what is happening in the last few weeks, which team the decisions are in favor of,” he said.

"I'm tired of it, it seems like we're always talking about the same thing," said Zidane. “It seems that we won only thanks to the referees; Madrid deserves respect. ” Ramos insisted: “We are not going to win the league because of the referees: whoever made mistakes must be self-critical, look at the players”.

Madrid have won seven in a row, kept four consecutive clean sheets and haven't even been beaten yet. There was a sense of mission and certainty, almost an inevitability, that is reminiscent of some of these European hits. There's a depth to the cast, a range of talent that no one can match, and there's also a solidity and gravitas to them, an awareness that it only takes a moment and that moment will come. That when it does, they will accept it. Whether it's a flash of inspiration from Benzema, a rush from Vinícius, Toni Kroos side-footed on a 20-yard shot with ridiculous ease, or Casemiro, their most consistent player, suddenly appearing in the six-yard box.

And then there's Captain Clutch, in his element, which by extension is theirs too. Sergio Ramos embodies the Real Madrid mentality better than anyone else, the man with a habit of showing up when the season reaches a climax, occasionally absent in the autumn but magnificent in the spring, propelled by the fate just ahead of him. The man who prefers pressure. An almost cartoonish character, with red cards and redemption, with a sense of important moments, the stage that awaits. The finals, the photos, the Ramos Time: 92.48 and everything else.

All of that too. It's not as dramatic, but it's not that different either. That penalty streak starts in May 2018 with an 89th-minute winner against Sevilla, his former club. Of the 20 spot kicks, 14 changed the result. The last three, in three weeks against Real Sociedad, Getafe and Athletic, have changed the fortunes of a unique league, the greatest title run of all time and the shortest too. “The Covid league”, said Ramos, as if it were a brand new competition, as it seems. It also looks like it will be his. Since football has returned, nobody in Spain has scored more goals. When the most recent penalty was given, Casemiro couldn't look, very aware of what it meant, but the man who took it was aware too, which is why everyone knew. Put Sergio Ramos in place, and only one thing will happen.