DYNAMIC DUO:
HOW BALE AND RAMSEY INSPIRED ME & A GENERATION
It shouldn’t come as a big surprise to those who’ve followed along with Morning Football that I take a great deal of pride in being Welsh. I was adopted at a very young age and never really knew much about my heritage. It wasn’t until high school that I became more interested in where I came from and how to connect with the people I had never met before.
All this led to a bunch of research and DNA tests to determine where my ancestors hailed from. South Wales. Not to make this a life story, but I discovered I’m over 50% Welsh, and that’s pretty rare for this generation, I’d say.
Many people I speak to here in the States still can’t point to Wales on a map, and I spend far too long explaining to them how we relate to the UK and whether Wales is its own country or not (a whole other conversation for a different time).
Whether it’s the rugby (less said about that recently, the better) or the football, I’m unbelievably honored I get to follow along as my country goes out there on the pitch. Two players in particular personify this, not only for me but for Welsh football fans in general.
Gareth Bale retired in January 2023, and just about a week ago, Aaron Ramsey joined him as one of the best and most recent Welsh footballers to hang up the boots. The 36 and 35-year-olds, respectively, had a massive impact on a generation of Welsh fans with their star power, skill, and commitment to putting Wales on the world stage.
Both Bale and Ramsey would captain the side and lead us to the 2022 World Cup, where we ultimately underperformed, but just being there after a 64-year wait was enough for some.
Now the golden generation is gone, and to understand what Bale and Ramsey truly meant to Welsh football, you have to understand what Welsh football was before them.
Wales hadn’t been to a major tournament in over half a century. The national team occupied this space between the Six Nations tournament and the Rugby World Cup.
Fans admired their passion, but rugby was always “the Welsh sport”. I’m by no means saying Football didn’t matter, because it did, but it wasn’t even close to what it is today.
“The transformation within Welsh football in the last decade is nothing short of a revolution. There has been a special transformation on the pitch, where Wales have improved beyond what many thought imaginable.” guardian.
The thing about Bale and Ramsey was that they weren’t just great players, they were absolutely necessary and influential for this new era. Football sometimes produces individuals who mean much more than their stats, who carry the emotional weight of an entire football culture on their shoulders.
Bale was the icon, the talisman, the free kick that made you scream till your face turned red. Ramsey was the soul, the maestro, the engine that ran until his lungs gave out, and who contributed in moments that mattered.
Aaron Ramsey at Arsenal (2008–2019)
Ramsey spent over a decade at Arsenal, becoming one of the club's most beloved and consistent midfielders. He scored big-time goals as a Gunner, none more memorable than the FA Cup final winners in 2014 and 2015. He was banged up throughout his career, but he always returned from injury with quality and heart.
Gareth Bale at Real Madrid (2013–2022)
Bale arrived in Madrid as the world's most expensive player and immediately justified the fee. He would score a stunning solo goal in the 2014 Copa del Rey final and go on to win four Champions League titles, one of which was sealed with a breathtaking overhead kick in the 2018 final. His legacy is certainly cemented by big-game moments.
Euro 2016
The 2016 Euros still live rent-free in my head. A country that had been told, and had maybe even told itself, that it wasn’t quite good enough, suddenly found themselves in the semi-finals of a major European Tournament.
Gareth Bale was a headline act, but this was never a one-man story. Joe Allen, Ashley Williams, Sam Vokes, Aaron Ramsey, and an entire squad playing the football of their lives turned a nation of hopeful dreamers into genuine believers.
They topped a group with England, dismantled Russia and Hungary, and beat Belgium (one of the most talented squads in the world at the time). Although the fairytale run would be cut short by Ronaldo and Portugal, their trip to France was just as much a cultural moment as it was a sporting one.
Ramsey was named in the Team of the Tournament, Bale had been otherworldly, and the Red Wall had witnessed something that will never be forgotten. skysports.
Wales paid tribute by calling him (Ramsey) a “world-class talent” and an “integral part of the golden generation that made international history.” For a generation of Welsh football fans, the game looked different because of him. Not just better. Different. More possible. More worth caring about. skysports
Diolch, Gareth, diolch, Aaron. Onto the next chapter. 🏴
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One should also include harry wilson!
I remember they cancelled our afternoon lessons just so we could watch Wales vs England on the projector. Then we ended up missing the last part of the game because we had to go home. The frantic refreshing and buffering of Livescore on the school bus was brilliant. What a summer.