Manchester United Player Profiles : Rio Ferdinand

Filed under: Manchester United Football Club, Manchester United Players

Manchester United’s defensive linchpin of recent times, Rio Ferdinand is a man with a solid credibility as a central defender. His displays for England and Manchester United alike have earned him rave reviews leading many to believe as England’s very best when it comes to defending.

He began his football at West Ham Academy though aged just 14. He stayed with them for quite a while winning a place in the Hammers’ first team in 1996 when Harry Redknapp used to manage them. He made his debut coming on as a sub against Sheffield Wednesday at Upton Park that year. His first-team debut still did not come until January 1997 when he started the game against Wrexham in the FA Cup Third Round. West Ham, surprisingly, lost that game to the Division Two outfit at home 1-0! He scored his first goal for the Hammers against Blackburn at Ewood Park in February that year.

In all, Rio made 152 appearances for West Ham, scoring two goals and was regularly promoted as the footballing reincarnation of Bobby Moore. His reputation was that of the best young defender in the country, a supremely elegant footballer who defends with intelligence and guile, but also uses the ball when possession is gained. He made his England debut against Cameroon at Wembley on Nov 1997 and made steady progress consolidating a place in the national team although he was left out by Kevin Keegan for Euro 2000.

By now, Rio had started to attract attention from some big clubs in and around the country but Redknapp’s insistence on nothing less than a big paycheck for Rio laid all rumours to rest. That is, until Leeds United manager David O’Leary was prepared to take the gamble and pay up. O’Leary shocked the football world by smashing the British transfer record with the £18 million fee on 26th November 2000. A world record fee for such a young defender had many sceptics baffled at the huge payout. However, Rio helped the Elland Road side to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in his first season and a series of superb performances for Leeds proved it was money well spent.

Rio’s second season at Leeds, 2001/02, was less successful for the team but he began to raise his game up a level. The move north undoubtedly benefited the Londoner who claimed a regular spot in the England set-up alongside Sol Campbell as the old rear-guard were phased out. With Leeds captain Lucas Radebe injured, he was made club captain. A transfer to Manchester United was suggested even before the World Cup Finals, in which Ferdinand showed that he was the best defender in the competition.

Rio’s transfer value rocketed during the 2002 World Cup but Fergie and the PLC were not deterred. After weeks of constant speculation, followed by days of negotiation, they signed Rio Ferdinand for a new British record fee of £29million. United had got a world class player who at 23 had a long career ahead of him. The sum also put Rio in the position of being the world’s most expensive defender again, topping the £22m that Juventus paid Parma for Lilian Thuram in 2001.

He was always going to have difficulty living up to his huge transfer fee and part of the problem was not having an established central partner. Season 2003-2004 began well with Rio beginning to justify his huge transfer outlay. With his excellent defensive performances along with Mikael Silvestre, United were rock solid at the back and top of Premiership at Christmas. But something disastrous was to follow soon. Rio had been ordered to take an FA drugs test at Carrington on September 23rd, but left without undergoing the procedure. Claiming he forgot because he was moving house at the time and was distracted, he went shopping in Manchester city centre. Upon discovering his blunder, Ferdinand later contacted the club to offer to take the test, but was told it was too late - the FA testers had gone. He provided a negative urine sample within 2 days but the issue was not whether he was on drugs but that he had simply missed the test.

An independent tribunal found the defender guilty of misconduct and gave him an eight month ban starting from 20 January. This meant he would miss the rest of the season and Euro 2004. United appealed against the punishment but were unsuccessful. One moment of forgetfulness set off a chain of events that cost the club dearly. Without Rio, United’s defence fell apart from late January to mid March.

The next season, Rio had to make up for the mistake that he could never have envisioned becoming so destructive. Making his comeback against Liverpool on 20th September he was a regular starter throughout the season, missing only seven Premiership matches and a cool presence at the back.

2005-2006 saw a United first for Rio as he finally scored for the Reds - a header at home to Wigan in mid December. He went on to score twice more, most excellently the injury time winner in the 1-0 triumph at home to Liverpool. He also picked up a League Cup winner’s medal and played more times than any other United player with 54 appearances. On the downside he suffered the first sending off in his United career away at Blackburn. As one of the best defender’s in the world and a much prized asset, Sir Alex recognises Rio as the heart of his plans and still believes there is more to come. So, at present, Rio remains an integral part of the United set-up proving to be the rock-solid centre back United need and could well have several more years at this great club!