Aaron Ramsdale’s courage marks him out as a football rarity. He deserves our

When Aaron Ramsdale sat down for his “interview” with The Players’ Tribune in April, he had one intention: to tell his story as honestly as possible. That was as far as his thought process went, until he started talking.

And then it all came out.

The England goalkeeper spoke about the backlash when news broke that he was joining Arsenal in August 2021 and “the entire world” told him he would fail, and the series of knockbacks that spurred him on to earn three caps for his country (“maybe that’s something to keep in mind for all the kids out there who are constantly told that anything less than perfection is the end of their dream”).

The 25-year-old also spoke about his family.

About the miscarriage he and his wife suffered early last year and playing through the pain in the north London derby three days later.

About the pride and admiration he has for his brother Oliver, a performer in London’s West End, who is gay. And about the moments he’s bitten his tongue in dressing rooms and on social media over the years when hearing “homophobic comments”.

It was around this point during the interview that Ramsdale paused and glanced over to the side of the room where his agent was standing, throwing him a look that said: “Is this OK? Would Ollie be comfortable with this?”

The answer was a resounding yes. He would be immensely proud.

“I want this game I love to be a safe and welcoming place for everyone,” continued Ramsdale. “I want my brother, Ollie — or anyone of any sexuality, race or religion — to come to games without having to fear abuse.”

In the days leading up to the publication of The Players’ Tribune piece, Ramsdale was nervous.

He’s an outgoing, sociable character and is not averse to occasionally playing the role of pantomime villain with opposition fans. But he is not someone who craves the limelight. Being in the spotlight is rarely a good thing for a goalkeeper: usually, it means you’ve messed up. On top of that, the news that Arsenal might be signing another goalkeeper had already placed him under increased scrutiny.

But he knew how much the messages in the piece meant to him and to the people who matter the most to him.

What he didn’t know was just how much those messages would mean to so many other people, too.

Why has it made such a sizeable impact?

This is a high-profile Premier League footballer speaking out loudly and proudly against homophobia and all forms of hate. A Premier League footballer allying himself firmly with those in the LGBTQI+ community. A Premier League footballer promising to stay quiet no longer whenever he hears words spoken that might make anyone feel like football is no place for them.

This is rare.

And it comes at a time when those within that community have been left feeling exactly that way.

Last November, we saw a World Cup held in Qatar, where…