Aaron Ramsey's goals have been linked by some fans to the deaths of a host of famous faces and his 'curse' may return if the new Cardiff City player manager finds the net again

Ex-Arsenal ace Aaron Ramsey has taken charge of Cardiff City in a bid to save them from relegation after the Championship club sacked manager Omer Riza.

The midfielder, 34, has just three games to try and save the Bluebirds, with the club currently second-bottom and one point from safety. He's only made three appearances for the side this term and is yet to score this season.

But if he does select himself for any of their forthcoming crunch clashes and manages to find the net, then no doubt whispers of the infamous 'Ramsey curse' will again be heard.

The eerie connection between Ramsey - who previously played for French club Nice, Rangers in Scotland and Juventus in Italy - and a string of high-profile deaths has always got people talking.

Back in 2018, social media went into meltdown when the Welsh wizard's supposed "curse" seemed to strike following his goal against CSKA Moscow.

After the then 28-year-old slotted home a stunner in Arsenal's triumph, legendary darts champ Eric Bristow tragically died from a heart attack.

Supporters were quick to link the curse to the midfielder's knack for scoring, suggesting there's a weird tie between his goals and celeb deaths.

One X user exclaimed: "20:14 Aaron Ramsey scores.... 21:49 Eric Bristow is pronounced dead. The curse is back to haunt your dreams." Another chimed in with: "Curse of Aaron Ramsey strikes again."

The demise of 'Grease' icon Olivia Newton-John was also connected to Ramsey by fans. A supporter posted a picture showing the scoreboard of Toulouse vs Nice, where Ramsey scored just a minute after stepping onto the pitch, alongside the sad news of Newton-John's death. The post was bluntly captioned: "Aaron Ramsey, retire with immediate effect."

What is the Aaron Ramsey curse?

So what's this talk of an Aaron Ramsey curse? It's a bizarre online legend suggesting that whenever he hits the target, a famous face is fated to die soon after.

The Wales player has an unsettling knack for scoring crucial goals that seem to be followed by the passing of famous figures, sparking talk of "The Curse of Aaron Ramsey" or the "Ramsey Effect".

Of his 79 career goals, at least 23 have been followed by the death of a celebrity, leaving fans to wonder if the curse is real. For instance, scientist Stephen Hawking and comedian Ken Dodd passed away after Ramsey scored, fuelling speculation about the supposed curse.

Ramsey addressed the strange theory in a 2015 interview with Sport Magazine, dismissing it as "ridiculous". He said: "The most ridiculous rumour I've heard is that people die after I score. There have been loads of occasions where I've scored and somebody has died."

However, Ramsey also joked about the potential upside - referring to the deaths of the likes of Osama Bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi - saying: "That's just a crazy rumour. Although I took out some baddies!"

Which stars are linked to the "curse"?

Ted Kennedy, August 25, 2009 – three days after he scored against Portsmouth

Andrés Monte, October 14, 2009 – two days after his first goal with Wales the admired Spanish football and basketball commentator Andrés Montes passed away

Osama Bin Laden, May 2, 2011 – a day after he scored against Manchester United

Steve Jobs, October 5, 2011 – three days after he scored against Tottenham Hotspur

Muammar Gaddafi, October 20, 2011 – a day after he scored against Marseille

Whitney Houston, February 11, 2012 – a day after he scored against Sunderland

Ray Williams, March 22, 2013 and Boris Berezovsky March 23, Ramsey scores on March 21

Ken Norton, September 18, 2013 – Same day he scored against Marsellie

Paul Walker, November 30, 2013 – Same day he scored against Cardiff

Robin Williams, August 11, 2014 – the day after he scored against Manchester City

Rubin Carter, April 20, 2014 – Same day he scored against Hull City

David Bowie, January 10, 2016 – a day after he scored against Sunderland

Alan Rickman, January 14 2016 – a day after he scored against Liverpool

Nancy Reagan, March 6, 2016 – a day after he scored against Tottenham

Nicky Hayden, May 22, 2017 – The day after he scored against Everton

Roger Moore, May 23, 2017 – Two days after he scored against Everton

Gregg Allman, May 27, 2017 – Same day he scored against Chelsea

Bruce Forsyth, August 18, 2017 – a week after he scored against Leicester

Ken Dodd, March 9, 2018 and Stephen Hawking March 14 – Ramsey scored on March 8 against AC Milan

Eric Bristow, April 5, 2018 – Same day as Ramsey scored against CSKA Moscow

Burt Reynolds, September 6, 2018 – Same day he scored for Wales

Keith Flint / Luke Perry, March 4, 2019 – Two days after Ramsey scores against Tottenham

Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia's first president), June 17 2021 – two days after Ramsey scored for Wales against Turkey at Euro 2020

X users were quick to blame the 'curse' for his death, with one saying: "RIP to Kenneth Kaunda. Aaron Ramsey curse goes on."

June Brown, April 4, 2022 - EastEnders' Dot Cotton passed away the day after Ramsey scored the opening goal against Celtic on April 3

Olivia Newton-John, August 8, 2022 – Grease star Olivia Newton-John passed away the day after Ramsey scored against Toulouse in the 78th minute, just one minute after coming on the pitch.