Aaron Ramsey

Aaron James Ramsey (born 26 December 1990) is a Welsh football manager and former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He mainly played as a box-to-box midfielder, but had also been deployed on the left and right wings. He is currently head coach of EFL League One club Oxford United.

Ramsey played as a schoolboy for Cardiff City, where he spent eight years in youth football, became the club's youngest ever first team player, and made 28 appearances (including loan spell) for the senior team – including the 2008 FA Cup final. Ramsey moved to Arsenal in 2008 in a £5 million deal, where he quickly gained first-team experience. However, his career stalled significantly after he suffered a broken leg in a match against Stoke City in February 2010. After two loan spells away from Arsenal, he returned to full fitness and re-established himself as a regular starter during the 2011–12 season. Ramsey was a key player for Arsenal in the 2013–14 campaign, scoring 16 goals in all competitions, including the winner in the 2014 FA Cup final against Hull City. He also played in the 2015 FA Cup final, which Arsenal won, and scored a second FA Cup-winning goal in 2017. In 2019, he joined Juventus, winning the league title during his first season. He later played for Rangers, Nice, Cardiff City (including a brief stint as caretaker manager), before ultimately ending his career at UNAM.

Ramsey made his full international debut for the Wales national team in 2008 and was part of their UEFA Euro 2016 campaign, where he helped his country to the semi-finals and was included in the Team of the Tournament. He was instrumental in securing qualification for Euro 2020, the country's second successive European tournament, where Wales were eliminated in the round of 16. Ramsey was also a member of the squad that qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first Wales team to qualify for a World Cup since 1958, which he described as a "dream come true". He was captain of the national team from 2011 to 2012, and again from 2023 to 2024. He also represented Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics.