Aaron Ramsey spent 11 years at Arsenal and also played for the likes of Juventus, Rangers and Cardiff. Aaron Ramsey would have been forgiven for putting his feet up after announcing his retirement earlier this month. His was a long and distinguished career, and one which was scarred by injury too. But the former Wales captain and Arsenal midfielder has taken a different path. On Sunday, he will be running the London Marathon.

"I'm excited," Ramsey tells BBC Sport Wales. "Training's been difficult, when the rain's coming down and it's wet and windy, and it can be quite a lonely place sometimes. But actually, I've enjoyed it in a weird way, being in the trenches a little bit."

There is a reason why Ramsey is putting his body through this ordeal so soon after stepping away from his life as a professional footballer. The 35-year-old is running the marathon to support It's Never You, a charity founded by his friends, Ceri and Frances Menai-Davis, after their six-year-old son, Hugh, died from a rare cancer. Ceri is also taking part on Sunday. He will be carrying Hugh's shoes around his neck, while wearing the names of more than 500 children affected by serious illness on his back.

"As a charity, it's really close to my heart," says Ramsey. "I know Ceri and Fran and their family. I knew Hugh very well. My eldest boy, Sonny, is a similar age and they used to play with each other. I can't imagine what they went through and what they are going through, but they've been an absolute inspiration to me, my family and many others."

Hugh was five years old when he was diagnosed with a high-risk rhabdomyosarcoma in October 2020. Not long after his sixth birthday, he died on 18 September 2021. Ceri and Frances created their charity to help other parents facing similar situations.

"They've done an unbelievable job in what they've done so far, and I know they're only just getting started," Ramsey adds. "They've accomplished so much, and to see their drive and passion to try and make a difference in Hugh's memory is very inspiring. Now I'm retired, it frees me up a little bit more to be able to do these things."

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Ramsey's retirement was a long time coming. Although he was still officially captain of Wales, the playmaker had not played any football – club or international – for seven months by the time he called time on his career. Ramsey had been without a club since leaving Mexican side Pumas in January. It was a short-lived move which had taken people by surprise in the first place, but made with the noble intention of keeping himself fit enough to be included in Wales' World Cup squad if they were to qualify. As it transpired, Wales missed out last month and, soon afterwards, Ramsey made the decision official.

"I hadn't played for the last few months, so it was a bit of a process, but I think it was the right time to call it," he says. "I left every option open to try and make that World Cup squad. I knew that loads of things had to align for that to happen but, for me, it was 100% the right thing to try and leave that open for as long as I could. That would have been the perfect scenario, the fairytale ending - but you don't always get that. If I look back on my career as a whole, I can be pretty proud of myself and that's almost the fairytale in itself."

That was clear as soon as Ramsey announced his retirement. Frustrating as the final few months of his career might have been, the warmth and sheer volume of tributes that met his retirement illustrated how highly he was regarded, not only by fans of Wales and his former clubs but by the wider footballing world. "I was absolutely blown away," Ramsey says. "Having not played for a few months, I thought it might be a bit of a quieter one, but it was really nice actually and quite touching. It just showed me really that I have had an impact in places I've been and with teams I've played for."

Now his playing days are done, Ramsey is aiming to make it as a coach. He has most of his qualifications and has already had a taste of senior management, having taken charge of his boyhood club Cardiff City for three games at the end of last season as they were relegated from the Championship. Having since been a part of Wales head coach Craig Bellamy's staff in an unofficial capacity, Ramsey is being touted for a bright future.

"[I]100% want to go into coaching. That's something that really excites me," he says. "I had that experience with Cardiff and loved it, even though the circumstances were difficult. I felt like I got a really good reaction from the team. I've been in the Welsh camps now with Bellers and his incredible staff as well, and I've worked with Cardiff's Under-18s. We'll just have to see which opportunities may arise soon and we'll go from there."

First, Ramsey has a marathon to run. Ceri Menai-Davis, who has run the London Marathon before, reckons Ramsey has raised more than £25,000 for his charity - and that is before you count donations for Sunday's race. They have been friends for more than a decade and Ramsey's shows of support for the charity - as well as his fundraising - include the butterfly symbol he used as a goal celebration during his career.

On Sunday, the most powerful reminder of Hugh's life will be his father's huge physical effort - and his son's shoes draped around his shoulders. "He was the most amazing, brave, courageous young boy," Ceri says. "The reason I do marathons is, just before Hugh died, I stupidly put myself in for a marathon in 2021. I never thought I'd get in but I got in, started training for it and Hugh never got to see me run that marathon because I did it two weeks after he died, and we buried him the next day with my medal. Last year I carried a 22-kilo rucksack, which was the weight Hugh was when he passed away. That was to display what grief weighs on you as a parent. This year, with Hugh's shoes, he walked into hospital in these shoes and sadly never came out. I wanted him to cheer me on when I did it in 2021 but sadly he never did. I did Paris with his shoes. He never got to see Paris so I showed him the Eiffel Tower and we had a chat all the way round. In London, he'll be there with me on my shoulders and we'll cross the finish line together."

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