Much of Ramelow's work tends to go unnoticed both for Bayer Leverkusen and Germany.
A tireless tackler, ball provider and stop-gap in midfield, his more extrovert team-mates often leave his displays in the shade.
He missed just one match in qualifying and would have been an ever-present in defence in the Far East but for a red card against Cameroon.
Germany will be hoping the occasional wonder goals he scores at club level will materialise on the international front.