Aaron Ramsey names his dream XI including Cristiano Ronaldo and four former Arsenal stars

When Aaron Ramsey appeared as a guest on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football to cover Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace, he selected the best lineup of players he has ever played with.

The 33-year-old Ramsey currently plays for Cardiff City of the Championship, where he was a player from 2006 to 2008.

After demonstrating his abilities in the Welsh capital, he was able to sign a £4.8 million contract with Arsenal in 2011.

During his more than ten years with the Gunners, he made 369 appearances and won two FA Cups.

He unexpectedly joined the Italian powerhouse Juventus in 2019, but a string of injury issues prevented him from finding his footing.

But Ramsey also added the 2020–21 Coppa Italia and the 2019–20 Serie A championship.

During his spells at Arsenal and Juventus, he played with some world-class footballers, but arguably his greatest achievement was helping Wales reach the semi finals of Euro 2016.

On Monday night, broadcaster David Jones and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher joined him in choosing his ideal starting lineup based on the players he has played with.

The team mostly consisted of a combination of Juve and Arsenal players.

He selected Gianluigi Buffon, the renowned World Cup-winning goalie with whom he had played while in Turin.

He selected Laurent Koscielny and Giorgio Chiellini as the centre backs in front of him, with Danilo and Alex Sandro as the defensive linemen.

It was an all-Arsenal and Spanish pairing of Cesc Fabregas and Santi Cazorla in the heart of the midfield.

Former Wales teammate Gareth Bale got the nod on the left flank, with Cristiano Ronaldo on the right-hand side. He chose ex-Arsenal teammate Mesut Ozil as the playmaker, with Olivier Giroud leading the line.

The names in the side were hardly a shock but he did make an interesting admission when discussing his 2011 move to Arsenal, admitting that he was “shown round Manchester United’s training ground” before opting for a move to the Gunners.

“He [Alex Ferguson] was on the phone a few times,” Ramsey said.

“But it was the assistant manager [Rene Meulensteen] at the time.”

“There were some discussions with Rafa [Benitez].

“But they [Liverpool] couldn’t really get to the fee.

“I believe it moved towards the five, and that was the end of that, but they could do something around the £1 million or £2 million area.

“Rafa was excellent, and his presentation was outstanding.

“David Moyes, the Everton manager at the time, was very accommodating when I visited his home.”

The 33-year-old went on to discuss why he chose to join Arsenal even though Manchester United was then having greater success.

“Why Arsenal? According to Ramsey, “I felt like he [Arsene Wenger] really wanted me.

“They flew me over there when he had a few hours off because he was doing the Euros at the time.”

We talked about him, his plans, and his vision during our lunch.

I was impressed by many young players he brought in and helped thrive and he had a really well-thought-out plan. For example, I thought Arsenal really wanted [Cesc] Fabregas

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