Aaron Ramsey picked the best XI of players he has played alongside during his appearance as a guest on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football for coverage of Nottingham Forest's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Ramsey, 33, plays for Championship side Cardiff City – where he previously played between 2006 and 2008.
After showing potential in the Welsh capital, he secured a move to Arsenal worth £4.8 million in 2011.
Advert
He stayed at the Gunners for over a decade, winning two FA Cups in his 369 appearances for the North Londoners.
In 2019, he made a surprising move to Italian giants Juventus but struggled to find form due to a succession of injury troubles.
However, Ramsey added the 2019/20 Serie A title and the 2020/21 Coppa Italia to his list of medals.
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 evening, he was joined by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher and host David Jones when he was asked to name his best starting XI based on the players he has played with.
Advert
The side mainly featured a mixture of Arsenal and Juve talent.
He chose legendary World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who he played with during his spell in Turin.
Ahead of him, he went for a centre-back pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Giorgio Chiellini, with full-backs Danilo and Alex Sandro making up the defensive line.
It was an all-Arsenal and Spanish pairing of Cesc Fabregas and Santi Cazorla in the heart of the midfield.
Advert
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.
Advert
“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.
"They could do something around the £1m or £2m mark, but I think it went towards the five, and that was the end of that.
Advert
“Rafa was very good, and the presentation he gave was superb.
"I went to David Moyes' [Everton manager at the time] house as well, he was very accommodating.”
The 33-year-old then explained his reasons for joining Arsenal despite Manchester United enjoying more success at that time.
“Why Arsenal? I felt like he [Arsene Wenger] really wanted me,” Ramsey explained.
“He was doing the Euros at the time and they flew me over there when he had a few hours off.
“We had lunch... everything about him and his vision and his plans.
"He had a really detailed plan and the amount of young players he brought through and have gone on was appealing to me. For example, [Cesc] Fabregas - so I felt really wanted by Arsenal.”
Topics: Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal, Cardiff City, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus, Wales
Luke Davies