2024-10-05 22:54:27
On Saturday Aaron Ramsdale returned to his old place of work. A circumstance that brought the goalkeeper to tears. Especially because of the fans.
Emotional afternoon for Aaron Ramsdale on Saturday in London: The England goalkeeper met his former club for the first time since leaving Arsenal and couldn’t hold back tears when he returned.
Ramsdale visited the Emirates Stadium with his new employers FC Southampton on Saturday afternoon. The keeper was loaned out to the newly promoted side by Arsenal FC in the summer. He had played a total of 89 competitive games for the “Gunners” since 2021.
When the keeper ran into the not even half-filled arena to warm up, the fans applauded him – not just those of the “Saints”, but also those of Arsenal FC, as the English tabloid “The Sun” reported, among others.
Ramsdale reacted emotionally a little later. As he walked back towards the players’ tunnel before kick-off, the 26-year-old reportedly wiped tears from his eyes. He raised his thumb towards the fans and winked at them.
But that’s not all: According to Sky Sports, Ramsdale was praised by the fans in the stadium towards the end of the game. First of all, the Southampton fans in the guest block celebrated him with loud voices. They are said to have sung “England’s number one” towards Ramsdale. The majority of the audience in the stadium then joined in, the report says.
Video footage on X also shows Ramsdale being the last player to leave the field at the Emirates Stadium. The Arsenal fans said goodbye to their former keeper with a standing ovation. He, in turn, applauded the supporters before disappearing into the players’ tunnel.
There was already a nice reception for Ramsdale there before the game. Further footage circulating on X shows him being warmly welcomed by his former teammates. One by one, Ramsdale hugged the Arsenal professionals.
He also shared an intimate moment with David Raya – and twice as much. The Spaniard, who pushed Ramsdale out of the Arsenal goal last season, hugged his former opponent in the players’ tunnel, as did his colleagues. The scene was repeated after the final whistle as Raya and Ramsdale again paid each other respect with a hug.
In the run-up to the game, Ramsdale’s ex-coach Mikel Arteta had praised his former protégé. “He’s a player we loved very much and is very charismatic. He really left his fingerprints here in the way he was,” said the Arsenal coach at the obligatory pre-match press conference on Friday. “It will be good to see him,” he added.
A statement that the goalkeeper is likely to confirm after the warm reception from the Arsenal fans. However, when he returned, not everything went according to Ramsdale’s plan. Southampton lost 3-1 at Arsenal.