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# Wales v England: Aaron Ramsey's inspiring comeback from horror injury marked
him out for captain's role
## The determined manner in which Aaron Ramsey recovered from the horrific
broken leg which put him out of football for 12 months has been the key to the
20 year-old becoming the youngest captain of Wales.
![Wales v England: Aaron Ramsey's stirring comeback from horror injury marked
him out for captain's role][1]
Main man: Aaron Ramsey will lead his country against England on Saturday
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
[![Jason Burt][2]][3]
By [Jason Burt][4], in Cardiff 11:30PM GMT 25 Mar 2011
[Follow Jason Burt on Twitter][5]
[Comments][6]
It is not just about ability, clean-cut image and playing for a big club like
Arsenal. It is also about "mental toughness" which Ramsey has displayed over
the past year as he has hauled himself back into the Arsenal first-team squad.
[**Wales**][7] manager Gary Speed said it was "inevitable" that Ramsey would
eventually wear the armband. So he has decided to award it to him now.
Speed is building for the future and all his plans are about qualifying for
the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil, but suddenly Ramsey is the present with
the Welsh hoping he can be the flag-bearer for a generation of young players,
including Gareth Bale, Joe Ledley and Chris Gunter.
Speed is also rewarding Ramsey for his recovery and hoping the responsibility
will give him a burst of confidence. "I've come back from a bad injury in the
last year and I have had to be strong mentally to get through that," the
Arsenal midfielder said. "I've definitely been through a lot but I think I've
benefited from that now, and I've grown up a bit as well."
There was only one moment during Friday's press conference at Wales's Vale of
Glamorgan training base, when a clearly nervous Ramsey spoke for the first
time as captain, that there was a chill in the air. He was asked whether Ryan
Shawcross had been in touch to offer his congratulations. "No," Ramsey said
bluntly.
## Related Articles
* [Capello admits to mistakes over captaincy][8]
25 Mar 2011
* [Speed: no issue with Spurs on Bale][9]
25 Mar 2011
* [Timing of Bale injury causes row][10]
25 Mar 2011
* [More than a one-man team][11]
24 Mar 2011
* [Stuart Pearce heading for another row over Under-21selections][12]
25 Mar 2011
* [A lot of hot air but no real fire in wounded Dragon][13]
25 Mar 2011
And that was all. He wasn't going to expand on his thoughts of the events of
February 2010 when the Stoke City defender ploughed into Ramsey's right shin
and the stellar progress made by the kid from Caerphilly shuddered to a halt.
"Hopefully now I can show what I'm capable of doing and show that you can come
back from a bad injury and be the same player," Ramsey said.
"I don't think I am too young, I think I have about 50 appearances for one of
the biggest clubs in the world and I played at a high level already in my
career. I know I am not a screamer and a shouter and I won't change the way I
am. Obviously, some people will disagree with it, but the manager has made his
decision and hopefully I can prove it to be the correct one.
"I've always wanted to become captain of Wales one day, and it has happened at
such a young age but hopefully now I can keep it for a long time," Ramsey
added, rejecting suggestions that he may, perhaps, be a little "shy" for such
a high-profile role. "I'm quite a confident person. I'm not someone who is the
life and soul of the party, but I do speak up when there is something to say."
He certainly has a steely determination. After all, this is a young man who
rejected Manchester United. After writing down the pros and cons of going to a
number of leading clubs who wanted to sign him in the summer of 2008, he moved
from Cardiff City, where he had been the club's youngest first-team player and
an FA Cup finalist, to Arsenal.
And when he broke his leg he was shaping up to be one of the best young
midfielders in Europe.
"When I had to make that decision, it was hard, I had to think about things
and I wrote them down, and one of them was I felt there would be more
possibility of playing at Arsenal," he said. "They wanted me and they have had
a lot of youngsters and given them opportunities at a young age. I thought
that made it best, and that's what happened. I've played a lot of games at
Arsenal and now we are here."
When, in October 2008, Ramsey dominated a Wales v England Under-21 tie,
overshadowing the likes of Tom Huddlestone and Mark Noble, the Welsh coach
Brian Flynn spoke of a "new [**Fabregas**][14]".
It's a comparison that, clearly, Ramsey likes. "He's somebody who has been a
captain at a young age, and obviously he's become one of the best midfielders
in the world," he said of his Arsenal team-mate. "He's a perfect example that
you don't have to be a shouter, you can just be yourself.
"That you can just give players a lift by playing well."
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/wales/8407582/Wales-v-England-
Aaron-Ramseys-inspiring-comeback-from-horror-injury-marked-him-out-for-
captains-role.html
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## [Wales][7]
* ### [Sport »][20]
* ### [Football »][21]
* ### [Football News »][22]
* ### [Jason Burt »][3]
* ### [England »][23]
In sport
[![Cardiff provides the perfect breeding ground for Fabio Capello's quiet
revolution - ashley young][24] ][25]
### [Capello's quiet revolution][25]
[![][26] ][11]
### [More than a one-man team][11]
[![Frank Lampard - Wales v England: live][27] ][28]
### [Wales v England: as it happened][28]
[![Tottenham Hotspur's electric winger Gareth Bale][29] ][30]
### [Speed under pressure to leave out Bale][30]
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