Superb Ramsey can 'repeat the extra special'

Wales recorded a memorable 2-0 victory over Turkey last night in Baku to put themselves in touching distance of the last 16 at Euro 2020 - and talismanic midfielder Aaron Ramsey put in a huge performance. 

After struggling with injuries last season with Juventus, it was unclear whether 30-year-old Ramsey would be able to hit top form this summer, but his all-round display last night showed that when he is fit and on form he is a world class midfielder. 

Wales' opening goal came courtesy of 'Rambo', who latched onto an inch-perfect pass from Gareth Bale - after making a fantastic run from deep - and kept his composure superbly to steer the ball inside the far post.

It was a special goal engineered by Wales' two outstanding individuals, and Ramsey's part in the goal reminded Playmaker of an interview we conducted with Oldham Athletic assist machine Nicky Adams for the first edition of our fanzine 'The Mighty Delta'. 

Adams played with Ramsey at youth level for Wales and had this to say about his former team-mate:

"I played for Wales at Under-21s and he was special, a really special player. He was a very quiet lad, but when you went out for training or on the pitch, you could just tell he was different. 

"At any given time, he had that X-Factor.

"We played Engand Under-21s in qualifying and he was the best player on the pitch by a mile, and obviously he went on to play at the very top level.

"When you were playing: you would think ‘Wow, this guy...’, obviously at that level we were all very good players, who could all produce special moments, but players like him produce them almost whenever they need to. 

"That’s why they go to the very top: they can just repeat the extra special: do it and do it and do it. It’s just an honour to play with those sorts of players."

Well said, Nicky!

What a night!! Thought the boys were outstanding 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 #TogetherStronger @FAWales pic.twitter.com/MawG0tFViR

— Aaron Ramsey (@aaronramsey) June 16, 2021