Aaron Ramsey has no intentions of slowing down.

Following a two-year period where the Wales captain played in four nations – Italy with Juventus, Scotland with Rangers, France with Nice, and finally Wales with Cardiff – Ramsey is now settled in Wales and playing every week in the Championship.

His international future, though, did not always appear as settled.

After not making the pitch for Wales’ penalty heartbreak against Poland in the EURO 2024 qualification play-off, and missing the summer fixtures against Gibraltar and Slovakia, there was every chance that the 33-year-old would call it a day at international level.

“Of course, there were a lot of emotions during those disappointing times,” reveals Ramsey.

“I tried to help my team that night to qualify for another major tournament but could not do that on the pitch.

“That was the thing that was eating away at me a bit. I felt like there was still some unfinished business there.”

Ramsey, though, says he never considered retirement.

“Obviously it was frustrating not to get over the line and qualify,” he says.

“Not to come on in that game as well, and to have an impact. But I didn’t want to go out like that either.

“It never entered my mind about stopping or anything. If anything, what this team is capable of excites me and motivates me to keep going.

“We have an exciting squad and an exciting new way forward, there’s going to be a lot of success for this team. So, I want to be part of that. I definitely think I can add value to the team.”

New Wales head coach Craig Bellamy, who captained Ramsey in his playing days, certainly agrees – he has confirmed that the midfielder will stay as skipper for the foreseeable future.

Bellamy’s first weeks in charge have been a whirlwind of tactics, meetings and intense training, something that Ramsey believes has energised the group following the sacking of Rob Page.

“There’s been a lot of information given in the first few days, but I think the boys have done well to absorb as much as they can,” Ramsey explains.

“You can see on the pitch that we are learning a new style, and it’s definitely going to be a little bit of a process in the Nations League before we start World Cup qualifiers.

“We are trying to play really aggressive, high intensity without the ball.”

Bellamy has left an immediate impression on the Wales squad, outlining the new style of play that he wants for his players, as well as demonstrating to the likes of Sorba Thomas and Mark Harris that club form and attitude will be rewarded.

“The way that he [Bellamy] has come across early on is a testament to him as a coach,” Ramsey adds.

“Talking to Connor [Roberts], who has worked with him the most over the last couple of years, he said he’s been absolutely brilliant to all the players at Burnley.

“Personally, I can’t speak highly enough of him, what he’s done for me and the support he’s given me as a player over the years. I’m excited now for him to be our manager in the future.”

For Ramsey himself, after long periods of absence through injury, he has had a positive start to the season with Cardiff, featuring often in manager Erol Bulut’s starting eleven.

“I had a good off-season, and then went into preseason which I hadn’t done for a very long time,” Ramsey explains.

“Having that block of work was very important for me. I’ve played basically every minute of this season so far, so from a physical point of view, I’m feeling good.

“I feel like I needed that block of work to give me the best chance going forward with Wales.”

With all the talk of the future, it is easy to forget that the Nations League can offer a chance to qualify for major tournaments via play-offs – something that Wales have exploited to their benefit in the past.

With a positive start – a 0-0 draw with group favourites Turkey and a 2-1 win in Montenegro – Wales have set themselves up nicely for a top-spot finish and promotion to League A, and play the likes of Spain, Germany, and France.

“The intensity of how we played was a massive thing for us,” says Ramsey.

“We have the players to be able to play at the sort of level that the manager wants us to.

“The way that everything has gone over the international break, you can see the excitement from the fans that what we want to do is resonating.

“It’s vitally important that we take the Nations League seriously. We have six games where we can work on things that we have been doing in training and show the fans our progress as a group.

“There’s a play-off place at the end of it if we top the group and our results this week have set us up nicely.”

These matches, with more to come against Iceland as well, offer Wales a chance to blood some of the exciting young talent coming through the youth ranks.

With Ramsey rested against Montenegro, Lewis Koumas was handed a start after his promising cameo against Turkey. Jordan James has established himself as an important member of the squad, while the likes of Ethan Ampadu, Neco Williams, and Brennan Johnson, despite experienced at international level, are all only 23 years old.

Wales have a squad that has the right blend of talent, youth, and international experience, something that excites a senior player like Ramsey.

“It is definitely the aim of the squad to play at the next World Cup,” says Ramsey.

“I think the potential in this team, the players, the experience, the age profile of the squad puts us in a great position to be able to do that.”

On a personal level, Ramsey is keen to play at another World Cup, after reaching the 2022 edition in Qatar, but going out at the group stage having failed to win a game.

“Absolutely, that’s my target,” explains Ramsey.

“I’m feeling good about where my game is at and excited about the potential of this team. With the way things have gone over the first few weeks, we are all really excited about where we can take this team.”

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