Wales officially appoint new captain after Gareth Bale's retirement

32-year-old midfielder Aaron Ramsey has been appointed as the new captain of the Welsh national football team.

The former Arsenal star steps into the role following the retirement of former captain Gareth Bale at the start of  2023.

33-year-old Bale announced that he was hanging up his boots for good in January, having led Wales into the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup last year which was Wales' first appearance at the Mundial since 1958.

Ramsey was announced as captain when head coach Rob Page named a 24-man squad for Wales’ opening Euro 2024 qualifiers against Croatia and Latvia later this month.

The Welsh team will be led by Ramsey as captain in their quest to qualify for a third-consecutive edition of the tournament.

Ramsey is eighth on the all-time appearances list for Wales with 78 caps but is still someway behind his predecessor Greth Bale who tops the list with 111.

Coach Rob Page explained why choosing Ramsey was a no-brainer, “Aaron was the vice-captain under Gareth and for me, it is the natural progression."

“He is playing arguably his best football for Nice at the minute. He will show what it means to wear the armband," the Welsh manager continued.

Page said, “I think at this moment in time there is nobody better. He has had so much more experience since the time before. That was part of my reasoning as well."

Ramsey has been enjoying a decent season with French club OGC Nice with a goal and two assists in 25 games across all competitions.