By David Williams
Aaron Ramsey has insisted he never thought about stepping away from international football after the setback of failing to qualify for Euro 2024.
Instead, the Wales captain has confirmed he aims to keep playing until the 2026 World Cup.
He may have started the season in low key fashion with three defeats and a draw for Cardiff City after not featuring in the Euros play-off final when Wales were beaten by Poland on penalties in March.
Wales captain Aaron Ramsey says he never considered international retirement after the disappointment of missing out on Euro 2024, and instead wants to keep playing until the 2026 World Cup ⚽ #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/TjuGHNjVO5
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) September 5, 2024
The Bluebirds midfielder is now 33 and admits that the experience of missing that tournament was an itch he found hard to scratch, but with Craig Bellamy now in charge of the national team, Ramsey is optimistic about the future.
“It was frustrating not to get over the line and qualify, and not to come on as well and not have an impact,” he says.
“I didn’t want to go out like that either.
“But this is an exciting squad, an exciting new way forward. I think there’s going to be a lot of success for this team. I definitely want to be a part of that, I think I can add value to that as well ahead of the World Cup.”
“It never entered my mind about stopping. If anything, it excites me what this team are capable of.
“It was tough for me not to get on the pitch and try to help the team qualify. That feeling stayed with me, like there was unfinished business.”
“My goal is to help the team make it to the next World Cup. This team’s potential, the age, everything points to a positive direction, putting us in a great spot to achieve that.”
Aaron Ramsey never considered international retirement after Wales’ Euros play-off defeat ❌ pic.twitter.com/BCwf6SGHh6
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) September 5, 2024
Bellamy’s first game as head coach will be a home fixture against Turkey in the Nations League on Friday.
When Bellamy revealed his squad for that game and the following away match in Montenegro, he confirmed that Ramsey would remain as captain.
Bellamy also mentioned that despite the injuries that have plagued Ramsey during his career, there’s still “a lot” more to come from his former Wales and Cardiff teammate.
LIVE: Watch 15 minutes of training from Cardiff City Stadium ahead of tomorrow’s #NationsLeague opener against Türkiye. #TogetherStronger https://t.co/KZhkhaOU7X
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) September 5, 2024
The former Arsenal player and his current Wales colleagues began training under Bellamy for the first time this week, with the general feeling among the squad being very positive about the new coach’s detailed approach and move toward a more dynamic, adventurous playing style.
“I think the way that he’s come in and handled himself has been so impressive,” said Ramsey.
“There’s been a lot of information thrown at us in the first few days, but the boys have done really well to take in as much as possible.”
“This will definitely be a process over these next six games leading up to the World Cup qualifiers in March. It’s really aggressive, high-intensity without the ball, with non-negotiables in place. The way he views the game is new for most of us—only Connor [Roberts, who worked with Bellamy at Burnley] has experienced it before.”
“We’re all pretty impressed and hopefully we can apply what we’ve learned in these early matches.”
Tomorrow night, Harry Wilson will be reunited with Bellamy as the former captain begins his reign as Wales head coach with a Nations League match against Turkey ⚽#BBCFootball
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) September 5, 2024
Read our recent DS stories on Aaron Ramsey.
Aaron Ramsey Will Keep The Wales Armband . . . But It’s No Big Deal, Says Craig Bellamy
