Football fans think Aaron Ramsey curse has struck again after Pope’s death

Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday – two days after Aaron Ramsey was named Cardiff manager (Photo: Getty)

Football fans are convinced that the ‘Aaron Ramsey curse’ has returned following Pope Francis’ death on Easter Monday.

Tributes have been pouring in after the Vatican announced that the Pope had passed away aged 88, with football matches in Italy subsequently postponed.

While Pope Francis had been seriously ill for some time, football supporters couldn’t help but notice the timing of his death – just two days after Arsenal hero Ramsey was appointed manager of Cardiff City.

On Saturday, the Bluebirds sacked Omer Riza after a 2-0 defeat at Sheffield United left them 23rd in the Championship, one point from safety.

Wales captain Ramsey has been put in caretaker charge for the final three games of the season, starting with a home clash against Oxford United on Easter Monday.

Ramsey, who has also played for Nottingham Forest, Juventus and Rangers, has long been subject of one of football’s most infamous superstitions, which appears to have struck again…

Has the Aaron Ramsey curse returned? (Photo: Getty)

What is the Aaron Ramsey curse?

The ‘Aaron Ramsey curse’ surrounds the idea that whenever the midfielder scores a goal, a celebrity is doomed to die soon after.

Over his career, the 34-year-old has scored 79 club goals, as well as 21 for Wales, and in the days following 25 of these goals, at least one notable celebrity passed away.

Now while Ramsey did not find the back of the net in the days before Pope Francis’ death, fans are sure the ‘curse’ has evolved to coincide with his first venture into management.

Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs was an early victim of the ‘Ramsey curse’ (Photo: Getty)

‘Aaron Ramsey didn’t score this weekend but, he became a manager… the Pope died,’ one supporter on Twitter observed.

‘He got made a manager for the first time yesterday. The Aaron Ramsey Curse is back, here we go!’ Charles Davie jested, while Dan Pearce added: ‘The Aaron Ramsey curse extends to managerial appointments.’

‘Aaron Ramsey took over as Cardiff City Manager on Friday and now The Pope has died. The Aaron Ramsey curse strikes again,’ Phillip Bagley concurred, while another fan said: ‘Aaron Ramsey’s first game as a manager & the Pope dies. Even in management he still has a curse.’

Legendary musician David Bowie died a day after Ramsey scored in 2016 (Photo: Getty)

Which celebrities have died because of the Aaron Ramsey curse?

29 celebrities have fallen victim to the ‘Aaron Ramsey curse’, with the first recorded incident being former US politician Ted Kennedy, who died August 25, 2009 – three days after Ramsey scored for Arsenal against Portsmouth in the Premier League.

The superstition gained traction in the early 2010s following the deaths of Osama Bin Laden, Steve Jobs, Muammar Gaddafi, Whitney Houston, Paul Walker and Robin Williams.

In the space of five days in January 2016, Ramsey scored two goals in two games, leading to the passing of David Bowie and Alan Rickman.

Smash Mouth lead vocalist Steve Harwell was the last person whose death was blamed in the ‘curse’ (Photo: Getty)

Nancy Reagan, Roger Moore, Bruce Forsyth, Stephen Hawking, Burt Reynolds, June Brown and Olivia Newton-John are among the other famous faces.

Not including Pope Francis, the last person to pass away from the ‘curse’ was Smash Mouth lead vocalist Steve Harwell on September 4, 2023 – two days after Ramsey scored for Cardiff against Ipswich.