Wales captain Aaron Ramsey is to return to boyhood club Cardiff on a two-year contract, it was announced Saturday.
Ramsey, who is coming back to Wales from French club Nice, made 22 appearances for Cardiff as a teenager and six more on loan from Arsenal in 2011. He remains the Bluebirds’ youngest player.
The now 32-year-old midfielder also played for Cardiff in their 2008 FA Cup final defeat by Portsmouth before going on to win the competition three times with Arsenal.
He later added a Serie A title and a Coppa Italia in an injury-hit stint at Juventus and lifted the Scottish Cup on loan at Glasgow giants Rangers before joining Nice.
He has played in Europa League finals with Arsenal, for whom he made over 350 appearances, and Rangers and for Wales at two European Championships and a World Cup.
But he is now back at Cardiff, who play in English football’s second-tier Championship, following reports he had turned down a lucrative offer to continue his career in Saudi Arabia.
“It feels unbelievable to finally be back here,” Ramsey told Cardiff’s website.
“I always thought one day I’d come back, and now it’s the perfect time to do that.
“To be back with my family and around familiar faces is just brilliant, so I’m delighted to be back here now. I’ve missed that a lot in the last year or so, so it was important for me to be back around them.
“Obviously I’m a Cardiff City fan and watching them over the years since I’ve been away, we’ve had some low points but some big highs as well, being in the Premier League and representing Cardiff on the big stage.”
He added: “That’s a target of mine — to try and help my team-mates and this club to get back to the top.”
