(SportsNetwork.com) - It wasn't long ago that Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey was being booed. In his home stadium. By Arsenal fans.
Yet on Saturday following a two-goal performance in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Ramsey's former club, Cardiff City, the young Welshman was cheered. In an away stadium. By both sets of supporters.
This time last year the only place that Ramsey might have heard cheers was in his own living room. But this season he is the toast of the town and one of the main reasons why the Gunners are a threat to end a 10-year league title drought.
How Ramsey has gone from the outhouse to the penthouse in just one year is a story of patience, perseverance and a restoration of confidence.
It involves a terrible injury, a trying comeback and a manager that never lost faith.
And it could be one of the best stories in the Premiership this season.
Five years ago Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger saw something in the 16-year-old Ramsey at Cardiff and he was able to beat Manchester United to his signature.
But just as Ramsey was beginning to blossom in the Arsenal midfield, his career took a dramatic turn in February 2010 when he sustained a horrific injury against Stoke City.
Ramsey broke his leg in two places in a challenge with Potters defender Ryan Shawcross, forcing him to the sidelines for nine months while also exacting a mental toll on the youngster as well.
After his recovery, Ramsey spent time on loan with Nottingham Forest and Cardiff in an effort to regain his match fitness before rejoining the Gunners.
Yet Ramsey never appeared to be comfortable upon his return to the Arsenal lineup and his performance on the field was indicative of a player who was not yet back to full strength.
Wenger continued to trot out Ramsey and the boo birds began to make themselves heard at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal toiled a good distance away from the title-contending teams.
In the first half of last season Ramsey continued his struggle to return to form and Arsenal got off to a poor start which took the club out of title contention very early in the campaign.
But things started to come together for Ramsey over the second half of the season, which coincided with a good run of form for Arsenal to close the campaign, propelling the club into the top four for the 16th straight year.
"It was a really tough thing to go through and I don't wish it upon anybody," said Ramsey of his injury and subsequent comeback.
"The determination and the professionalism that you need, all the hours you have to spend in the gym, it's quite tough. But I've got through that. It's taken me a bit longer than I would've liked, but I'm happy now where I am, and hoping to improve and carry on this good form that I'm in."
Ramsey made that statement toward the end of last season, but you have to believe that not even he could have imagined this type of start for himself this year.
Prior to the beginning of this season, Ramsey had scored 11 goals in all competitions in an Arsenal shirt, which spanned five years.
This term Ramsey has appeared in 18 games in all competitions for the club and scored an eye-opening 10 goals.
So why the dramatic difference?
First of all, Ramsey is still just 22 years old and seems to have finally overcome the difficulties of his traumatic injury.
His confidence has certainly returned, but maybe more than that, he is being deployed in a familiar position.
Ramsey is most effective as a box-to-box midfielder, but following the departures of both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, he was asked to fill more of a creative role further up the field, something with which he was relatively unfamiliar.
But this season the arrival of German playmaker Mesut Ozil has freed up Ramsey to sit a bit deeper in midfield, with Ozil finally taking the place of a player like Fabregas or Nasri.
With Ozil in the lineup, Ramsey can make runs from a deeper position and he has become quite adept at getting himself into good spots inside the penalty area to score goals.
With forward Olivier Giroud in good form, Ozil pulling the strings in midfield, and Jack Wilshere returning to action after a season-long injury absence, Ramsey is enjoying a freedom in midfield that he hasn't had before.
And Saturday's match at Cardiff was yet another example as Ramsey opened the scoring against his former side with a well-placed header in the 29th minute from an Ozil chip.
Ramsey capped his afternoon in stoppage time when he made a lengthy run up the field from a deep position to score on an emphatic first-time shot, earning applause from both the Arsenal and Cardiff supporters, who seemed to appreciate the long road back for one of their own.
The result leaves Arsenal four points clear at the top of the league through 13 games, while Saturday's match served as yet another indication of how far both Ramsey and Arsenal have come in a relatively short time.
One year ago it would have been tough to imagine Arsenal contending for the league title this season, and even more improbable to predict that Ramsey would be one of the driving forces behind that charge.
Wenger's faith in Ramsey is being repaid, and judging by the reaction of the Cardiff crowd on Saturday, Arsenal fans aren't the only ones taking notice.
