Ramsey dismisses retirement talks with eyes on World Cup

Wales captain Aaron Ramsey has dismissed talks of him retiring after missing out on Euro 2024 with his national.

The 33-year-old did not come off the bench as his side lost in the play-off final, creating speculation that his time on the big stage may be over.

But the Cardiff midfielder says he is eyeing the 2026 World Cup and believes he can still be at a top level in two years time.

Speaking ahead of the Nations League match against Turkey, he said: “It never entered my mind about stopping. If anything, it excites me what this team are capable of.

“It was difficult for me not to get on and hopefully try to help the team to qualify.

“That was the thing that was eating away at me and I felt like there was some unfinished business there.

“That is definitely an aim of mine, to help this team qualify for the next World Cup.

Wales captain Aaron Ramsey says he never considered international retirement after the disappointment of missing out on Euro 2024, and instead wants to keep playing until the 2026 World Cup ⚽ #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/TjuGHNjVO5

— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) September 5, 2024

“The potential in this team, the age, it’s all positive and puts us in a great position to do that.”

Craig Bellamy has taken over as manager, replacing Rob Page.

The former winger will have instant pressure on him with Wales so desperate to qualify for the World Cup, but Ramsey has spoken highly of the former Premier League man.

He added: “I think the way that he’s come in and handled himself has been so impressive.

“There’s been a lot of information given in the first few days but the boys have done really well to absorb as much as they can so far.

“It’s definitely going to be a process in these next six games before the World Cup qualifiers start [in March].

“It’s really aggressive, high-intensity without the ball, the non-negotiable stuff.

“The way he sees the game is new to a lot of us – only Connor [Roberts, who worked with Bellamy at Burnley] has experienced that before.

“We’re all pretty impressed and hopefully we can implement the things we’ve been working on in these first few games.”