03 August 2023 , 10:38
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Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale has revealed his wife tragically suffered a miscarriage during a flight home from a post-World Cup holiday.
Ramsdale had been given extra time off after traveling to Qatar with England last winter. Around that time, the 25-year-old and his wife had found out that they were expecting their first child and decided to take a brief holiday.
Tragically though, as they travelled back to London, his wife suffered a miscarriage on the plane. Ramsdale has now praised Gunners boss Mikel Arteta for his compassionate response to the situation.
At the time, Arteta's side were in the midst of a title race against Manchester City, looking to win the Premier League for the first time in 19 years. Despite that, Arteta offered to give him extra time off, something Ramsdale remains grateful for.
"It was genuinely the happiest time of our lives. And yeah … there’s no easy way to say this, but I feel like it’s important that people know. On the flight home, my wife had a miscarriage," Ramsdale told The Players' Tribune.
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"There’s really no way that I can describe the pain of that six-hour flight back to London, even now. I just want people out there to know that they’re not alone if they’re going through it themselves. When we got back, I didn’t tell many people what happened.
"Only my family, my teammates, and of course Mikel. He was fantastic about everything. Even in the middle of the title race, with so much pressure on the club, he asked me if I needed some time off to deal with everything.
Ramsdale remains grateful for boss Mikel Arteta's response to the situation (Getty Images)
Aaron Ramsdale and his wife on their wedding day back in June"Mikel went above and beyond to make sure me and my family were OK. He forever has my respect for how he handled our grief. Three days later, we were playing Spurs, and for me that was the only way to get my mind off things. Football has always been my escape. I told the manager I wanted to play."
Ramsdale went on to play all 90 minutes of that derby against Tottenham, which Arsenal would win 2-0. An own-goal from Hugo Lloris and Martin Odegaard's stunning long-range strike secured all three points for the Gunners.
It was a win that extended Arsenal's lead at the top of the table to eight points, though City would eventually overhaul them. Ramsdale is now preparing for his third season at the Emirates Stadium, with the Gunners expected to again challenge for the title.
And he will head into the campaign with the news that his wife is pregnant again. The England international revealed he remains "over the moon" with the news.
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