.jpg) Ferdinand in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rio Gavin Ferdinand[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 7 November 1978[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Camberwell, England | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992–1995 | West Ham United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–2000 | West Ham United | 127 | (2) |
| 1996–1997 | → AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2000–2002 | Leeds United | 54 | (2) |
| 2002–2014 | Manchester United | 312 | (7) |
| 2014–2015 | Queens Park Rangers | 11 | (0) |
| Total | 514 | (11) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996–1997 | England U18 | 7 | (0) |
| 1997–2000 | England U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 1997–2011 | England | 81 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Rio Gavin Ferdinand OBE (born 7 November 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, and is now a television pundit for TNT Sports. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and was a member of three FIFA World Cup squads.[4] He is one of the most decorated English footballers of all time, regarded by many as one of England's greatest ever players.[5][6][7]
Ferdinand began his football career playing for various youth teams, finally settling at West Ham United where he progressed through the youth ranks and made his professional Premier League debut in 1996. He became a fan favourite, winning the Hammer of the Year award the following season. He earned his first senior international cap in a match against Cameroon in 1997, setting a record as the youngest defender to play for England at the time. His achievements and footballing potential attracted Leeds United and he transferred to the club for a record-breaking fee of £18 million. He spent two seasons at the club, becoming the team captain in 2001, before he joined Manchester United in July 2002 for around £30 million, breaking the transfer fee record once more.
At Manchester United, he won the Premier League, his first major club honour, in a successful first season at the club. In September 2003, he missed a drugs test and was banned from football for eight months from January until September 2004, causing him to miss half a Premier League season, Manchester United's FA Cup triumph, and the Euro 2004 international competition. Upon his return, he established himself in the Manchester United first team and received plaudits for his performances, featuring in the PFA Team of the Year four times in five years. More club success followed with another Premier League win in the 2006–07 season and a Premier League and UEFA Champions League double the following year. His career at United, in which he won six Premier League titles and 14 trophies,[8] ended when his contract expired in 2014, and he subsequently joined Queens Park Rangers where he played for just one season before being released from the club as a result of their relegation from the Premier League. He announced his retirement from professional football on 30 May 2015.
In September 2017, Ferdinand announced his intention to become a professional boxer, partly to help him cope with the death of his wife.[9] His brother, Anton, also a centre-back, last played for St Mirren. Former England international striker Les Ferdinand and former Dagenham & Redbridge midfielder Kane Ferdinand are his cousins.
- ^ "Premier League Clubs submit Squad Lists" (PDF). Premier League. 2 February 2012. p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ "Rio Ferdinand". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
- ^ "Player Profile: Rio Ferdinand". Premier League. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ "Rio Ferdinand Profile, Statistics, News, Game Log". ESPN Soccernet. 15 November 1997. Archived from the original on 6 April 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ "Chelsea v Manchester United: Rio Ferdinand vilified as his pursuit of the FA Cup goes on". The Daily Telegraph. London. 1 April 2013. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Why is Rio Ferdinand the most unheralded player of his England generation?". FourFourTwo. 4 June 2015.
- ^ "Rio Ferdinand retires: Former Manchester Utd defender was one of the greats". Sky Sports.
- ^ Jupp, Adam (13 May 2014). "Rio Ferdinand career in numbers". Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ "Rio Ferdinand says professional boxing career will help him cope with the loss of his wife". Manchester Evening News. 19 September 2017.