Aaron Ramsdale - Arsenal's unsung hero

Much of Ramsdale's style in woodwork stems from his days in the Bolton Wanderers youth system. Legendary goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen was Bolton's number one stop during Ramsdale's time at the club. At the time, he was young and heavily influenced by his Finnish-born senior, who had been with the club since 1997 - the year before Ramsdale was born - and had more than 500 first-team appearances in 15 years.

"When I was playing for the Bolton youth team, Jaaskelainen was an important part of my career. He was my initial inspiration," Ramsdale said. "Being able to watch Jaaskelainen at home every weekend was very important to me. After that, I became close friends in Jaaskelainen's family, being able to chat about football and play in the garden. with Jaaskelainen and his son William, who are the same age as me. I am still very close to them."

According to Ramsdale, being able to train with an English Premier League star from a young age is something to be proud of. The England goalkeeper continued: "Also, Jaaskelainen's coach at Bolton, Fred Barber, was the one who coached me at Stoke. He is still coaching at Crewe, after being at Bolton for many years, and has a school. teach goalkeepers at Stoke. This is where I studied before moving to Bolton. So we have a connection with Jaaskelainen through different people, and he is definitely an inspiration to me."

Jaaskelainen is very influential, and many people can still see many of his characteristics in Ramsdale's game style. Yes, things like catching the ball, "explained the 24 year old goalkeeper. Jaaskelainen and I have a common coach who adheres to principles and teaches everyone who has attended goalkeeping school in the same way. That's why you gained the foundation. But when you see Premier League players doing this week after week, you know it's an effective coaching approach So, perhaps the positioning of my hands and feet is very similar to Jaaskelainen. However, I think it's more like a subconscious, after years of training with Fred. If you see it in the person you admire, you will try to imitate it. When it becomes a habit, it will always exist and you don't need to think

Ramsdale's other early career goalkeeping inspiration was Gianluigi Buffon. The legendary Italian goalkeeper and 2006 World Cup winner is still playing at the age of 45 with Parma in Serie B. "My first real memory of football and goalkeepers is the 2006 World Cup," Ramsdale remembers. back when he was 8 years old. "That's when I received Buffon's yellow Italy goalkeeper shirt. It was short-sleeve, and that's probably why I like to wear short shirts now. So Buffon was probably the first. I admire on television."

Arsenal's number one goalkeeper continued: "Buffon was the first keeper I really watched and liked the way he played. I also liked Buffon's kit. A goalkeeper wearing a short-sleeve, Buffon was outstanding. pop and star. I think he wore a mane and won the 2006 World Cup with Italy. I don't think I learned anything from Buffon's style, but I want to prolong his career like him."

"I think things are clearer in the goalkeeper position, because there is only one main catcher," Ramsdale explained. "Arsenal have about 20 or 22 men and have two players for each position. So the positions are very competitive, for example Reiss Nelson and Gabriel Martinelli. It was a big battle on the training ground and both were very competitive. I give it my all in every training session. But what's different with the goalkeeper position is that Nelson can still be given a chance if Martinelli kicks in."

According to Ramsdale, such healthy competition every day helps him stay motivated and not lose his form since the beginning of his career. "When I was in the academy at Bolton, I competed with William Jaaskelainen, the son of the famous Premier League goalkeeper, and he was a goalkeeper himself," he said. "So, I and Will competed for the starting position from the age of 10 or 11 until about 16 when playing in the same age group. Will also has his own problems, when many people say that he can only compete because of his father. famous. By the way, that's weird because Will is a very good goalkeeper."

The 1998-born goalkeeper continued: "Then, when you become an academy youth player and sign a professional contract, you also want to prove that you are better than the first-team goalkeeper who is playing in the Premier League. At that age you may have to compete with another goalkeeper coming in for trial. Obviously you have to respect that, but at the same time try to show them that this is your position, your team. and your teammates. But if you start to think too much about other people, you will take your eyes off your situation. So you only get motivated from being competitive to a certain extent."

Currently the number one shirt owner at the Emirates Stadium, Ramsdale says there is no shortage of people around who inspire and motivate him to rise to new heights. "My family always reminds me of what I need to achieve," he revealed. "I may have achieved some things in my career, but nothing for many others, especially in terms of winning titles and maintaining top form for many years."

"My fiance's brother is a huge Arsenal fan. So he constantly reminds me what I need to achieve. But the most important thing is that the motivation comes from within. Although not necessarily put in place. I set out big, specific goals for myself, but my main ambition is to win a lot of titles, or a 15 year peak career and things like that. That comes from within, but family. and my parents-in-law were always there to help motivate me."

Part of the 24-year-old's motivation comes from competing in the big games, as he is always stimulated by the key moments and thrives in the face of the pressure that comes with them. "I've never enjoyed working out, because there's no pressure at all," explains Ramsdale. "Of course you have to train well and you don't want to make a mistake every five minutes. But if I make a mistake, I'll start over and keep going. This is also what coach Mikel Arteta does very well, creating the atmosphere. competitive atmosphere in the training sessions so I can enjoy it more. For example, the losing team pays for dinner or something like that."

Ramsdale said that his desire to play under pressure can be traced back to his teenage days at Bournemouth. Ramsdale recalled, "When I transferred from Sheffield to Bournemouth, I was the third choice, which means I still played in the Premier League and didn't play for the under 21 national team. "But at that time, I was still playing for the England Under 19 National Team. We won the European Cup in Georgia, and I played for the England Under 19 National Team more times than Bournemouth in six months. At that time, I knew that I did not play at the club level, but I had to play against Germany in the group stage of the European League, and I had to perform well. So I wanted to participate in the game. I like the atmosphere of the fans because they make me more focused and able to feel the pressure

Ramsdale's career began to advance from Bournemouth, then Sheffield before landing at Emirates Stadium at the beginning of the 2021-2022 season. After shining, winning Arsenal's Player of the Month award in both October and November, Ramsdale received his first defeat when Arsenal lost 0-4 at Liverpool. After the game, he insisted Arsenal must aim for the same standards as Liverpool and part of his style is to take others as a benchmark and always want to improve.

I think as an individual, you must do this, "Ramsdale said when asked about these remarks. But it is obvious that everyone has seen the statistics of powerful clubs, how many goals they have conceded or scored, how much progress they have made in the league, and maintained a high level for a long time. As an individual, you know the best clubs are Manchester City and Liverpool, for four or five years. Pass. So we know what the standards are, and we are excited because we don't want to reach the peak this season. We hope this is the first step towards returning to the Champions League next season and striving to excel in both areas

There's no shortage of ways to stay motivated, but if it's going to be tough, what's Ramsdale's back up? "If I was going through a tough time or needed motivation again, my dad would tell me about my grandfather Ron, who died before I was born," he said. "If I call my dad, I'll say things like 'I can't get up for practice today'. My dad will quickly remind me where I am. He'll remind me that my grandfather is my grandfather. I had to choose to be a teacher instead of becoming a professional footballer, because of his father. So I need to realize how privileged I am."

"But to be honest, I'm motivated enough inside and around me, and my dad doesn't have to say such things. My fiance helps me stay motivated, so does my family, and there's a lot of it. a lot to give, isn't it," the Arsenal goalkeeper closed.