Football fans are convinced the Pope has become the latest victim of the 'Aaron Ramsey curse'

Superstitious football fans are convinced that the Pope has become the latest victim of Aaron Ramsey's 'curse'.

The 88-year-old pope died on Monday morning after a two-month battle with pneumonia.

However, the timing of his death has sparked a storm of commentary on social media – with fans of the 'beautiful game' linking it to a frightening coincidence involving former Arsenal player and Wales captain Ramsey.

The so-called Aaron Ramsey 'curse' centres on the idea that every time the Welshman scores a goal, a celebrity or high-profile person is expected to die.

During his career, the midfielder – who has also played for Nottingham Forest, Juventus and Rangers – has scored 79 goals for the club, as well as 21 for Wales, and in the days following 25 of those goals, at least one celebrity died.

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Although Ramsey is not finding the back of the net at the moment, he was appointed as Cardiff City's new manager just two days before the Pope's death.

The 34-year-old took charge of his first match against Oxford United as he seeks to save the Bluebirds from relegation as their interim manager.

And now believers in the bizarre Ramsey 'curse' theory are convinced that his new role in charge of Cardiff lies behind the Pope's death.

"Aaron Ramsey took over as Cardiff manager on Friday and now the Pope is dead. The Aaron Ramsey curse strikes again," wrote one fan on X.

"Aaron Ramsey didn't score this weekend but he became a manager... The Pope died," wrote another, with a third adding: "Aaron Ramsey's first game as a manager and the Pope dies. Even in management he still has a curse."

Ramsey's so-called 'curse' has been blamed for the deaths of celebrities Alan Rickman, Steve Jobs and even former Al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

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The surreal superstition dates back to when Ramsey scored his first goal for Arsenal against Fenerbache on October 21, 2008. The next day, Henry V actor David Lloyd Meredith died.

In August 2009 Ramsey scored against Portsmouth and three days later Ted Kennedy died. But it wasn't until May 2011 that the curse was first made public. Shortly after Ramsey scored at the Emirates against Manchester United, the number one on the United States' terrorism watch list, Osama Bin Laden, died.

After scoring against Tottenham at home on 2 October 2011, Steve Jobs' death was reported three days later. When Arsene Wenger brought Ramsey on for the 77th minute against Marseille on 19 October 2011, it didn't look like he would be on the pitch long enough to score. However, the next day, Arsenal had left the South of France with three points and Muammar Gaddafi had met his end.

After he scored against Sunderland on February 11, 2012, it seemed that another celebrity would die, and Whitney Houston passed away.

On November 30, 2013, Ramsey was playing for Cardiff when he scored twice against his former club. On the same day, Fast and Furious star Paul Walker was killed in a car accident.

At the start of the 2014-15 season Ramsey scored against Manchester City in the Community Shield and the next day Robin Williams died.

In early 2016, Aaron Ramsey scored for Arsenal in back-to-back games. After his goal against Sunderland on January 9, David Bowie died. He then scored against Liverpool at Anfield and the next day Alan Rickman had passed away.

Ramsey has called the 'curse' ridiculous and said the deaths are just coincidences. Addressing the theory in 2015 and in an interview with Sport Magazine, the Welshman said: "The funniest rumour I've heard is that people die after I score. There have been plenty of times when I've scored and someone has died." /Telegraph/