Home Football Before joining Arsenal, Aaron Ramsey rҽvҽaled he had received a ‘mαd’ voicemail from Sir Alex Ferguson

Before joining Arsenal, Aaron Ramsey rҽvҽaled he had received a ‘mαd’ voicemail from Sir Alex Ferguson

Football — 10/11/2023

In an interview, Aaron Ramsey discussed the 2008 bidding wаr between Arsenal and Manchester United to sign him.

The 17-year-old Welsh midfielder made his debut for Cardiff City’s first team during the second part of their Championship season. After a stunning performance in a 2-1 FA Cup win against Middlesbrough, leading Premier League teams took notice, with Sir Alex Ferguson making early contact about a possible summer transfer.

However, United weren’t the only team interested in the talented adolescent; both Arsenal and Everton made offers. Ramsey spoke with representatives from all three teams before making his final decision to sign with the Gunners for £4.8 million.

The midfielder has stated that he frequently chatted with both Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, the two legendary managers of Arsenal and United, during negotiations.

“I was always a Cardiff supporter, but my dad was a Manchester United fan and I watched them quite a lot with him,” said Ramsey. As a kid, I was a huge fan of two different sports teams, so when they both expressed interest in me, it was a very surreal experience.

I had several phone conversations with both supervisors. My first voicemails were from Fergie and Arsene Wenger when I was only 17 years old. Crаzy, that.

For me, joining Arsenal was the obvious choice. The first day of training stuck out in my mind because of the players I saw: Kolo Toure, Cesc Fabregas, Emmanuel Adebayor, William Gallas, etc. This was so unbelievable that I had to pinch myself. My first thought was, “Why the Һell am I even here?” For me, it was a very tҺrilling period.

Ramsey would eventually spend 11 years with Arsenal, during which time he would make 369 appearances and win three FA Cups with the north London club. Injuries limited his time at the Emirates, and he signed with Juventus for free in 2019.

The Welshman’s fitness problems persisted as he joined Rangers on loan before making the permanent switch to French club OGC Nice. He went full circle this summer by signing with his childhood club Cardiff and playing in the Championship again.