Aaron Ramsey facts for kids
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Ramsey with Wales at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aaron James Ramsey | ||
| Date of birth | 26 December 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Caerphilly, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
UNAM | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2006 | Cardiff City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2008 | Cardiff City | 16 | (1) |
| 2008–2019 | Arsenal | 262 | (40) |
| 2010–2011 | → Nottingham Forest (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Cardiff City (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2019–2022 | Juventus | 49 | (5) |
| 2022 | → Rangers (loan) | 7 | (2) |
| 2022–2023 | Nice | 27 | (1) |
| 2023–2025 | Cardiff City | 21 | (3) |
| 2025– | Pumas UNAM | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2005–2008 | Wales U17 | 15 | (2) |
| 2007–2009 | Wales U21 | 12 | (2) |
| 2008– | Wales | 86 | (21) |
| 2012 | Great Britain Olympic | 5 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2025 | Cardiff City (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:08, 11 March 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:50, 9 September 2024 (UTC) |
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Aaron James Ramsey (born 26 December 1990) is a Welsh professional footballer. He plays as a midfielder for Liga MX club Pumas UNAM. He also captains the Wales national team. Ramsey is known for playing as a box-to-box midfielder. This means he helps both in defense and attack. He can also play on the left or right wings.
Ramsey started his football journey at Cardiff City when he was a schoolboy. He spent eight years in their youth team. He became the youngest player ever to play for Cardiff City's first team. He played 28 games for the senior team, including the 2008 FA Cup final. In 2008, Ramsey moved to Arsenal in a £5 million deal. He quickly became a regular player. However, his career faced a big challenge in February 2010. He broke his leg during a match against Stoke City.
After two loan spells away from Arsenal, he fully recovered. He became a regular starter again during the 2011–12 season. He also played for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Ramsey was a very important player for Arsenal in the 2013–14 season. He scored 16 goals that year. This included the winning goal in the 2014 FA Cup final against Hull City. He also played in the 2015 FA Cup final, which Arsenal won. He scored another FA Cup-winning goal in 2017.
On 1 July 2019, he joined Juventus in Italy. He won the league title in his first season there. In 2022, he moved to French club Nice. On 15 July 2023, Ramsey returned to Cardiff City. His contract with Nice ended by agreement. In July 2025, he joined Mexican club UNAM.
Ramsey first played for the Wales national team in 2008. He was part of their team for UEFA Euro 2016. He helped Wales reach the semi-finals and was named in the Team of the Tournament. He also helped Wales qualify for UEFA Euro 2020. Wales reached the last 16 in that tournament. Ramsey was also in the squad that qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This was the first time Wales qualified for the World Cup since 1958. He called it a "dream come true".
Contents
Early Life and Interests
Aaron Ramsey grew up in Caerphilly County Borough, Wales. He went to Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni, a Welsh-language school. He first started playing football at age nine. This was during an Urdd training session in Caerphilly.
Before focusing on football, Ramsey was also a talented rugby player and athlete. He played as a winger for Caerphilly R.F.C.'s youth team. Scouts from a rugby league team, St. Helens, even noticed him. But he had already joined Cardiff City's youth academy. Ramsey was also a champion in the pentathlon in 2005. He was ranked 4th in Great Britain for his age group in 2006.
Ramsey lived with his parents and brother until he moved to London. He is also a fluent Welsh language speaker.
Club Football Journey
Starting at Cardiff City
Aaron Ramsey joined Cardiff City at age eight. He had impressed in a youth tournament. He worked his way up through the club's youth system. He made his first team debut on 28 April 2007. He was just 16 years and 124 days old. This made him the youngest player ever for Cardiff City.
Cardiff City turned down offers from other clubs for Ramsey. They wanted to keep him. He made his first full start for Cardiff on 5 January 2008. This was in an FA Cup game. He scored his first goal for the club in that match. He scored his first league goal on 26 April 2008. He played in the 2008 FA Cup Final. He was the second youngest player to play in an FA Cup Final.
After his great performances, big clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, and Everton became interested. Ramsey grew up a Manchester United fan. But he chose to join Arsenal. Arsenal paid Cardiff City about £4.8 million for him. The Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, personally met Ramsey and his family. Wenger explained his plans for Ramsey's future.
Time at Arsenal
Ramsey officially joined Arsenal on 13 June 2008. He made his first game for Arsenal on 13 August 2008. This was in a Champions League qualifying match. He made his league debut a month later. He even got an assist in that game. He scored his first goal for Arsenal in a Champions League match. He became one of the youngest scorers in the competition's history. In July 2009, he signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal.
He scored his first league goal for Arsenal on 22 August 2009. He continued to play well. In November 2009, he won the Welsh Young Player of the Year award.
On 27 February 2010, Ramsey suffered a serious injury. He broke his lower right leg during a game against Stoke City. This was a very tough time for him. He returned to training in October 2010.
Loan Spells and Comeback
To get back to full fitness, Ramsey went on loan. He played for Nottingham Forest from November 2010 to January 2011. He then returned to Cardiff City on loan in January 2011. He played well during these loans. He even scored a goal for Cardiff City.
Ramsey made his full return to Arsenal in March 2011. He scored his first goal since his injury on 1 May 2011. This was against Manchester United. He continued to work hard to get back to his best.
In the 2012–13 season, Ramsey started to show his true potential. He scored a great chip shot goal in a Champions League game. He signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal in December 2012. Fans voted him Arsenal Player of the Month. He scored his first league goal of the season in a big win against Wigan Athletic.
Becoming a Star Player
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The 2013–14 season was a huge year for Ramsey. He scored important goals in the Champions League. He also played a key role in the Premier League. He scored two goals against Sunderland. He continued his amazing form, scoring against Marseille and Stoke City. He won the Premier League Player of the Month award for September.
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He scored a fantastic solo goal against Norwich City. He also scored a spectacular long-range shot against Liverpool. This helped Arsenal go five points clear at the top of the league. He scored two goals against his old club, Cardiff City. He chose not to celebrate out of respect. Sadly, he got another thigh injury in December 2013. This kept him out for over three months.
Ramsey returned from injury in April 2014. He helped Arsenal win the 2014 FA Cup Final. He scored the winning goal in extra time against Hull City. This ended Arsenal's nine-year wait for a trophy. He was named Arsenal's Player of the Season for his amazing performances.
FA Cup Success and Later Years
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Ramsey started the 2014–15 season by scoring in the Community Shield against Manchester City. He scored the winning goal in Arsenal's first league game. He scored two goals in a Champions League match against Galatasaray. On 30 May 2015, Ramsey helped Arsenal win another 2015 FA Cup Final against Aston Villa.
He continued to score important goals for Arsenal. In January 2017, he scored a great goal in the FA Cup. On 27 May 2017, he scored the winning goal in the 2017 FA Cup Final against Chelsea. This was his second FA Cup-winning goal.
In the 2017–18 season, Ramsey scored his first career hat-trick against Everton. He also scored important goals in the Europa League. Arsenal fans voted him their player of the season for the second time. In February 2019, it was announced that Ramsey would move to Italian club Juventus. He suffered a hamstring injury in April, which ended his Arsenal career.
Moving to Juventus
On 11 February 2019, Ramsey signed a four-year contract with Juventus. He officially joined them on 1 July 2019. He made his first official game for Juventus on 18 September. He scored his first goal for the club on 21 September. He won the Serie A league title with Juventus in his first season.
In October 2020, Ramsey played his 50th Champions League game. He became only the third Welsh male player to reach this milestone.
Loan to Rangers
On 31 January 2022, Ramsey joined Rangers in Scotland on loan. He played for them until the end of the season. He scored two league goals. He also played in the 2022 UEFA Europa League Final. In the penalty shootout, his penalty was saved. Three days later, Rangers won the Scottish Cup. Ramsey was on the bench for that win. His contract with Juventus ended on 26 July 2022.
Playing for Nice
On 1 August 2022, Ramsey joined Nice in France for free. He scored a goal on his debut on 7 August. His contract with Nice ended on 15 July 2023.
Back to Cardiff City
On 15 July 2023, Ramsey rejoined Cardiff City on a two-year deal. His son, Sonny, also joined the Cardiff City youth academy on the same day. On 19 April 2025, Ramsey took over as caretaker head coach for Cardiff City's final three games of the season. He left Cardiff City for a second time on 30 June 2025.
Joining UNAM
In July 2025, Ramsey joined Mexican club UNAM on a free transfer.
Playing for Wales
Ramsey first played for the Wales U17 team in 2005. He then played for the Wales U21 team in 2007. He made his debut for the senior Wales national football team on 19 November 2008. He was only 17 years old. He scored his first goal for Wales on 14 October 2009. This was in a World Cup qualifier. He also scored against Scotland in a friendly game. He won the FAW's Young Player of the Year award.
In March 2011, Ramsey became the permanent captain of Wales. He was the youngest ever Wales captain at 20 years old. He scored his first goal as captain in May 2011.
Ramsey was chosen to play for Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Football Tournament. He played in all three group games. He scored a penalty in the quarter-finals against South Korea. Great Britain lost that game in a penalty shootout.
In October 2012, Ashley Williams became Wales captain. But the manager said Ramsey would likely be captain again. Ramsey scored a penalty in a 2–1 win over Scotland in March 2013.
Euro 2016 and World Cup 2022
Ramsey was part of the Wales squad for Euro 2016. He helped Wales win their first game in a major tournament in 58 years. He scored a goal and assisted another in a 3–0 win over Russia. This helped Wales win their group. He also set up two goals in the quarter-final win against Belgium. Wales reached the semi-finals, which was a huge achievement. Ramsey was named in the Team of the Tournament. He was also the joint-highest assist provider with four assists.
Ramsey played a big role in Wales' qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He scored important goals against the Czech Republic and Belarus. He also assisted a goal against Estonia. Wales won their play-off games to qualify for the World Cup. This was the first time Wales qualified since 1958. In November 2022, he was in the Wales squad for the World Cup. He played in all three group matches.
On 14 March 2023, Ramsey was named captain of Wales again. This happened after Gareth Bale retired. He scored his 100th career goal from a penalty kick on 11 September 2023. This was in a 2–0 win over Latvia.
How Aaron Ramsey Plays
Aaron Ramsey is known for his great technique and powerful running. He is especially good at making late runs into the penalty area to score goals. He has a lot of energy and works very hard on the field. He is also a good passer and has good vision. This helps him create chances for his teammates.
He usually plays in the middle of the field. He can be a central midfielder or an attacking midfielder. He can also play on the wings. Sometimes, he plays in a "box-to-box" role. This means he helps both in defense and attack. Even though he is very talented, he has had many injuries during his career.
His former manager, Arsène Wenger, called Ramsey a "complete midfielder". Wenger said Ramsey can defend, attack, and score goals. He also said Ramsey can easily run past opponents. In 2013, some experts said Ramsey was one of the best central midfielders in the Premier League. Even after missing a lot of games due to injury, he won the most tackles for Arsenal in the 2013–14 season. He was also the team's second-highest scorer and had the second-highest number of assists.
In December 2015, former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said Ramsey was "the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League".
Personal Life
Aaron Ramsey married Colleen Rowlands on 8 June 2014. They got married at Caldicot Castle in Wales. They have three children.
Ramsey supports the World Wildlife Fund. He has talked about his love for animals and protecting them. He has also had modeling contracts and is sponsored by Adidas.
Honours and Awards
Cardiff City
- FA Cup runner-up: 2007–08
Arsenal
- FA Cup: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17
- FA Community Shield: 2014, 2015
- EFL Cup runner-up: 2017–18
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2018–19
Juventus
- Serie A: 2019–20
- Coppa Italia: 2020–21; runner-up: 2019–20
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2020
Rangers
- Scottish Cup: 2021–22
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2021–22
Individual Awards
- Welsh Young Player of the Year: 2009, 2010
- Premier League Player of the Month: September 2013
- Arsenal Player of the Season: 2013–14, 2017–18
- London Player of the Year: 2014
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2016
- UEFA European Championship top assist provider: 2016
- Premier League Goal of the Month: October 2018
See also
In Spanish: Aaron Ramsey para niños
