Arsenal goalkeeper says he has the best and the worst job in the world
One reason Arteta wanted Ramsdale was that he thought he was good with the ball at his feet, a style that is not without risk
Nothing has ever been plain sailing for Aaron Ramsdale, starting with being released by Bolton Wanderers aged 16.
There were more tastes of the ups and downs of football when the goalkeeper suffered three relegations and clocked up transfer fees that, combined, could exceed £50 million over four seasons.
Then there was the backlash from Arsenal fans underwhelmed by his impending arrival at the Emirates Stadium last summer.
The next test of his emotions will come when England’s squad for the 2022 World Cup finals is named.
His mood swings and the stresses and strains on his family have been laid bare in the Amazon Prime Video documentary All Or Nothing, the first three episodes of which will be released on Thursday.
He hopes that all fans will get an insight into a player’s life off the pitch too. “How hard it is to be a footballer,” Ramsdale says. “One of the best jobs in the world, but one of the worst at the same time.
“Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t me preaching, like, ‘Oh, everyone feel sorry for us,’ but the time away from families, living out of a suitcase, travelling.
The stress you put on yourself, the stress of the fanbase, and one weekend it’s the best job in the world and you’re on cloud nine and winning games, and the next week you lose against a team you shouldn’t lose to and it’s doom and gloom.”
On top of that, goalkeepers take personal pride in keeping a clean sheet and he ended the league campaign with 12, the fifth-highest total. In one clip Ramsdale, 24, rants and rails inside the dressing room after Arsenal let in a late goal each time when 3-0 up against Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa last autumn. Conceding made no difference to the result, but it could on another day.
“I hope what comes out is that we are just human, and you get to see us enjoying ourselves but at times we are suffering together,” he says. “That’s the hardest thing to get out. Everyone thinks football is easy, you’re on the pitch for two or three hours and go home, but it’s just not like that. You’re travelling 24/7, you’re in the gym. It’s not me moaning, saying, ‘We want some sympathy.’ It’s just the facts of the job.”
Ramsdale was released by Bolton as coaches thought that he was too small and could not kick the ball. He resurrected his career with Sheffield United before joining Bournemouth. He was relegated during a loan spell with Chesterfield in League Two in 2018 and suffered the same ignominy with Bournemouth and Sheffield in 2020 and 2021 in the Premier League.
He even battled relegation in the season in between, but had a big hand in AFC Wimbledon’s remarkable escape, despite the club being ten points from League One safety at one stage in 2019.
After his second stint in South Yorkshire he joined Arsenal a year ago for an initial fee of £30 million, rising to £36 million. He got the nod to replace Bernd Leno after Arsenal lost their opening three league matches last season at a time when Mikel Arteta, the manager, was under intense pressure for his team to beat Norwich City at home.
One reason Arteta wanted Ramsdale was that he thought he was good with the ball at his feet, a style that is not without risk. As Arsenal clung on to a 1-0 lead over Norwich, the tactic proved too stressful for the goalkeeper’s father, Nick, who was caught on camera leaving his seat and rushing inside the corporate box.
Ramsdale has not seen the documentary yet. “Dad hates it — especially now,” he says. “He tells me week in, week out to stop passing it into midfield because it gives him a heart attack. I say, ‘Speak to Mikel,’ and he says, ‘I will.’ I just have to pull him and say, ‘No.’ It’s probably only going to get worse for him the better we do. It’s something he’s got to deal with.
“In previous years my mum was probably the one struggling with me losing and relegation. [Dad] knew the type of person I was — stronger than Mum thought. Now it’s the other way. I have a lot of responsibility on the ball. It’s definitely taxing on the families as well, because my mood for the weekend will revolve around the game. They come to every game, they’ll stay down, they’re hoping we win and it allows us to have quality time.”
His father represented Great Britain in the 400m and was a plumber and plasterer, while his mother, Caroline, is a retired professional netball player who worked at a nearby school and would drive Ramsdale from their home in Staffordshire to train at Bolton. Before signing the goalkeeper for Arsenal, Arteta called Ramsdale’s father to get a feel about the player’s personality and family life. The pair have remained in contact since.
