Yes, it's a hard one to defend given its place in the seven deadly sins – doubly so when you learn that its parent sin, pride, is often considered the original and most serious of the lot (something to do with a fellow called Lucifer and his banishment from head office to a hellish job in the sticks).
That said, anyone who watched Wednesday's penalty shoot-out between Euro 2012 semi-finalists Portugal and Spain will recognise that, while Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to go last backfired spectacularly as earlier Portugese misses meant he never got to take his penalty, the vanity involved in his decision is to be commended.
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