Aaron Ramsey retires - celebrities stop checking obituaries after goals

Aaron Ramsey has officially called time on his career at 35, bringing the curtain down on a 16-year journey filled with trophies, milestones, and one of football's most bizarre myths.

The former Arsenal, Juventus and Cardiff City midfielder bows out with 551 club appearances and 86 caps for Wales, where he played a key role in the nation’s historic run to the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016.

A decorated and intelligent midfielder, Ramsey won multiple trophies, including three FA Cups in England and a Serie A title in Italy, while earning a reputation as one of the most complete midfielders of his generation.

And yet, for many around the world, his name became synonymous with something far stranger.

The notorious 'Ramsey curse.'

At the height of his powers, a peculiar and chilling pattern emerged: whenever Ramsey scored, news of a high-profile death would soon follow. What began as a coincidence quickly turned into a global talking point - one that blurred the line between football folklore and superstition.

Names like Steve Jobs, Robin Williams, Paul Walker and Alan Rickman were all, bizarrely, linked to Ramsey goals, as their deaths occurred within days of him finding the net.

The pattern was so uncanny that fans began tracking it obsessively, and it didn't stop there.

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Even late in his career, after moving to Mexico with Pumas UNAM, the phenomenon appeared to follow him. In August 2025, Ramsey scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner against Atlas, and just four days later, the world learned of the death of legendary designer Giorgio Armani.

Coincidence? Almost certainly.

But in football, stories like this have a way of sticking.

Ramsey himself never embraced the narrative, remaining focused on his career - one that began as a teenage prodigy at Cardiff and evolved into a career spanning England, Italy, France, Scotland, and Mexico.

"This has not been an easy decision," he said in his farewell message. "It has been my privilege to live this dream and represent my country."

His legacy, in truth, goes far beyond superstition. A midfielder with timing, intelligence, and an eye for decisive goals, Ramsey delivered on the biggest stages, often when it mattered most.

Still, as he steps away from the game, one question lingers in football folklore:

Was it ever just a coincidence?

With Ramsey gone, the goals will stop, and perhaps, finally, so will one of football's strangest ever stories.

And the death list? It's quite long, actually...

Osama bin Laden - May 2, 2011 (1 day after a goal)

Steve Jobs - October 5, 2011 (3 days after)

Muammar Gaddafi - October 20, 2011 (1 day after)

Whitney Houston - February 11, 2012 (same day)

Chavela Vargas - August 5, 2012 (1 day after)

Bebo Valdes - March 22, 2013 (same day)

Jorge Rafael Videla - May 17, 2013 (3 days after)

Ken Norton - September 18, 2013 (same day)

Paul Walker - November 30, 2013 (same day)

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter - April 20, 2014 (same day)

Robin Williams - August 11, 2014 (1 day after)

Eduardo Galeano & Gunter Grass - April 13, 2015 (2 days after)

David Bowie - January 10, 2016 (1 day after)

Alan Rickman - January 14, 2016 (1 day after)

Nancy Reagan - March 6, 2016 (1 day after)

Nicky Hayden - May 22, 2017 (1 day after)

Roger Moore - May 23, 2017 (2 days after)

Gregg Allman - May 27, 2017 (same day)

Manuel Noriega - May 29, 2017 (2 days after)

Luke Perry & Keith Flint - March 4, 2019 (2 days after)

Olivia Newton-John - August 8, 2022 (1 day after)

Giorgio Armani - September 4, 2025 (4 days after)