Aaron Ramsdale opens up on heartbreak of wife's miscarriage and Mikel Arteta's response

Posted Friday, August 04, 2023 by Dailystar.co.uk

Aaron Ramsdale has opened up about Mikel Arteta's reaction to his wife heartbreakingly suffering a miscarriage during the title race - and claimed "that's a manager"

Aaron Ramsdale opens up on heartbreak of wife's miscarriage and Mikel Arteta's response
Aaron Ramsdale opened up on his private life

Aaron Ramsdale has opened up on his wife heartbreakingly suffering a miscarriage during Arsenal's title chase.

Ramsdale was a key part of the Gunners squad who finished runners-up in the Premier League last season. However, with Arsenal top of the league and coming off the back of his first World Cup, Ramsdale's now wife, Georgina Irwin, suffered a miscarriage.

Writing in the Players' Tribune, Ramsdale revealed: "After the high of climbing to the top of the Premier League table and going off to my first World Cup, my wife and I found out that we were expecting our first child.

"Mikel gave me a few extra days off after the World Cup, so we went on a brief holiday... And yeah… there’s no easy way to say this... On the flight home, my wife had a miscarriage.

"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 team-mates, and of course Mikel."

However, Arteta's reaction to the news was everything Ramsdale wanted: "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.

"Mikel went above and beyond to make sure me and my family were OK. For me, that's a manager."

Arsenal played Tottenham three days later in a crucial north London derby which the Gunners won 2-0 with Ramsdale kicked in the back by a Spurs fan at full time.

The goalkeeper added: "Three days later, we were playing Spurs in the derby, 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.

"It couldn’t have been a better night. We won 2–0 under the floodlights, and our away fans were going absolutely ballistic.

"If you watch the match back, you can see me beaming at the final kick of the ball. I went to get my water bottle behind the goal, and never in a million years would I ever think that I’d get kicked in the back by a Tottenham fan."

Ramsdale recently took to social media to announce he was having a child with Georgina. He uploaded a snap of a positive pregnancy test with the caption: "Half of me, half of you. Baby Ramsdale"