Rio Gavin Ferdinand professionally known as Rio Ferdinand is an English former professional football player who played as a center-back and is now a television pundit for BT Sport. He started playing football for the youth team of West Ham United and earned a professional contract and a place in the first-team squad in the process. He made his senior team debut on 5 May 1996. In November 1996, he joined Bournemouth on loan and made his debut on 9 November 1996. He played 10 games for Bournemouth before returning to West Ham in January 1997. In November 2000, he joined Premier side Leeds United for a record-breaking fee of £18 million as well as becoming the world’s most expensive defender. He spent two seasons at the club, becoming the team captain in 2001. On 22 July 2002, he joined fellow Premier League side Manchester United on a five-year deal for around £30 million, becoming the most expensive British footballer in history at the time and the world’s most expensive defender for a second time, a title he had lost in 2001 to Lilian Thuram. He won the Premier League, his first major club honour, in a successful first season at the club. In September 2003, he missed a drug test and was banned from competition for eight months from January until September 2004. 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. In his career at United, he won six Premier League titles, two Football League Cup, four FA Community Shield, one UEFA Champions League, and FIFA Club World Cup. His contract expired in 2014 and was not offered an extension due to which he agreed to leave Manchester United on 12 May 2014. On 17 July 2014, he signed for newly-promoted Premier League club Queens Park Rangers on a one-year contract where he played for just one season before being released from the club as a result of their relegation from the Premier League. On 30 May 2015, he announced his retirement from professional football.
On the International level, he has represented England at various age levels. He has represented England at U18, U21, and the senior level. He made his international senior team debut in 1997, setting a record as the youngest defender to play for England at the time. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, making him England’s second most capped black player behind Ashley Cole with 107. He was named in four consecutive England World Cup squads (albeit without playing in 1998 and missing 2010 through injury), he never went to a European Championship due to a ban for missing a drug test and due to England’s failure to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008. In May 2013, he announced his retirement from international football, saying that “it’s the right time to make room for young players and focus on the club career”.
Source: @keepitonthedeck
What is Rio Ferdinand Famous For?
- Being a professional football player.
- Won the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup with West Ham United.
- Won the 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2012-13 Premier League with Manchester United.
- Won the 2005-06, 2008-09 Football League Cup with Manchester United.
- Won 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2011 FA Community Shield with Manchester United.
- Won the 2007-08 UEFA Champions League with Manchester United.
- Won the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup with Manchester United.
- Won the 1997-98 West Ham United Hammer of the Year.
Source: @thesun
Where is Rio Ferdinand From?
Rio Ferdinand was born on 7 November 1978. His birth name is Rio Gavin Ferdinand. His birthplace is Camberwell, England. He was born to his Irish mother, Janice Lavender, and Saint Lucian’s father, Julian Ferdinand. He has several brothers and sisters: one brother and three sisters on his father’s side and a brother and sister from his mother’s remarriage. His brother, Anton Ferdinand, also plays as a defender, while his cousins are Les Ferdinand who was capped 17 times by the England national team, and Kane Ferdinand, who represented Ireland at the youth level. He holds British nationality. He belongs to multiracial ethnicity. His horoscope sign is Scorpio.
Source: @twitter
Rio Ferdinand Football Career Timeline
- He started playing football for the youth team of West Ham United and earned a professional contract and a place in the first-team squad in the process.
- He made his senior team debut on 5 May 1996 in a 1-1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday, came on as a substitute for Tony Cottee in the Hammers’ last game of the season.
- In November 1996, he joined Bournemouth on loan and made his debut on 9 November 1996 in a 1-1 drew against Blackpool. He played 10 games for Bournemouth before returning to West Ham in January 1997.
- During the 1997-98 season, he won the Hammer of the Year award at the young age of 19.
- From 1995-2000, he made 127 appearances and scored 2 goals for West Ham United and also won the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup with the club.
- In November 2000, he joined Premier side Leeds United for a record-breaking fee of £18 million as well as becoming the world’s most expensive defender.
Source: @leeds-live.co.uk
- On 2 December 2000, he made his Leeds United debut in a 3-1 defeat to Leicester United at Elland Road.
- On 4 April 2001, he became an integral part of the Leeds team that reached the semi-final stage of the UEFA Champions League, scoring with a header in the quarter-final against Spain’s Deportivo La Coruna.
- In August 2001, he became the club captain after replacing Lucas Radebe and turned in an impressive form.
- From 2000-2001, he spent two seasons at the club, making 54 appearances and scoring 2 goals for the club.
- On 22 July 2002, he joined fellow Premier League side Manchester United on a five-year deal for around £30 million, becoming the most expensive British footballer in history at the time and the world’s most expensive defender for a second time, a title he had lost in 2001 to Lilian Thuram.
- He won the Premier League, his first major club honour, in a successful first season at the club. He also collected a winner’s medal in the 2006 League Cup, with runners-up medals in the 2003 League Cup and the 2005 FA Cup.
- In September 2003, he missed a drug test and was banned from competition for eight months from January until September 2004.
- On 14 December 2005, he scored his first goal for United in a 4-0 victory against Wigan Athletic which was his first goal after more than three years at Old Trafford.
Source: @machestereveningnews
- 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.
- On 23 October 2007, he scored his first European goal for United by opening the scoring in a 4-2 win against Dynamo Kyiv.
- On 21 May 2008, he captained Manchester United to a Champions League Final victory against Chelsea.
- He had an injury-plagued in the 2009-10 season, a number of back and knee injuries kept him on the sidelines for months and returned to action on 28 January 2010, but was banned for four games after being found guilty of violent conduct for elbowing Hull City’s Craig Fagan.
- Due to a knee injury, he suffered in the summer of 2010, he missed all of pre-season, the Community Shield, and the first four games of the 2010-11 Premier League season.
- On 14 September 2010, he returned to first-team football and captained the team in the opening game of the Champions League group stage in a goalless draw against Rangers.
- In August 2011, he started the season-opening game in the 2011 FA Community Shield where United found themselves 2-0 down at half-time to city rivals Manchester City.
Source: @eurosport
- On 9 December 2012, he was struck and injured by a coin thrown from the home crowd during United’s 3-2 derby victory away from home against Manchester City.
- On 12 May 2013, he scored the winner and final goal of the Alex Ferguson era at Old Trafford in a 2-1 victory over Swansea City.
- His contract expired in 2014 and was not offered an extension due to which he agreed to leave Manchester United on 12 May 2014.
- During his career at United, he won six Premier League titles, two Football League Cup, four FA Community Shield, one UEFA Champions League, and FIFA Club World Cup. He also made 312 appearances and scored 7 goals for the club.
- On 17 July 2014, he signed for newly-promoted Premier League club Queens Park Rangers on a one-year contract where he played for just one season before being released from the club as a result of their relegation from the Premier League. He made only 12 appearances for QPR in his only season with the club.
- On 30 May 2015, he announced his retirement from professional football.
Source: @metro
Rio Ferdinand International Career
- He has represented England at various age levels.
- He has represented England at U18, U21, and the senior level.
- At the age of 19 years and 8 days, he made his international senior team as a substitute in a friendly against Cameroon on 15 November 1997, making him the youngest defender to play for England at the time (a record was broken in 2006 by Micah Richards).
- He was named in four consecutive England World Cup squads (albeit without playing in 1998 and missing 2010 through injury), he never went to a European Championship due to a ban for missing a drug test and due to England’s failure to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008.
- On 5 February 2010, he replaced John Terry as captain of England.
- He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, making him England’s second most capped black player behind Ashley Cole with 107.
- In May 2013, he announced his retirement from international football, saying that “it’s the right time to make room for young players and focus on the club career”.
Source: @dailypost.ng
Rio Ferdinand Boxing Career
- In September 2017, he announced that he was launching a career to become a professional boxer.
- His move into the ring was sponsored by betting company Betfair, who assisted him in attempting to qualify for his British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) license before he began training and competing.
- In May 2018, it was announced that he had been refused a professional boxing license by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC). Due to the rejection, he announced that he was “hanging-up his gloves”.
Source: @thescottishsun
Rio Ferdinand Wife and Children
Looking at his personal life, he is a married man. He got married to his long-termed girlfriend, Ellison in 2009 where the couple had two children. On 2 May 2015, his wife, Ellison died of breast cancer. On 27 September 2019, he married for the second time, Kate Wright. The ceremony was attended by his children, along with the couple’s other close family members. In June 2020, he and Wright announced that they are expecting their first child together. The couple was blessed with a boy on 18th December 2020. He is having an intimate relationship with his love and children. They are living their life happily together.
Source: @theguardian
Rio Ferdinand Height and Weight
Rio Ferdinand stands at a height of 1.89m i.e. 6 feet and 2 inches tall. He has a bodyweight of 87kg. He has an athletic body build. His eye color brown and his hair color are black. His sexual orientation is straight.
Source: @theirishsun
Rio Ferdinand Net Worth and Salary
Rio Ferdinand is a retired professional football player who played for the clubs like West Ham United, Bournemouth, Leeds United, Manchester United, and Queen Park Rangers. Currently, he is a television pundit for BT Sport. He has also earned from his professional career as a football player. In 2000, he joined Premier side Leeds United for a record-breaking fee of £18 million as well as becoming the world’s most expensive defender. In 2002, he joined fellow Premier League side Manchester United on a five-year deal for around £30 million, becoming the most expensive British footballer in history at the time and the world’s most expensive defender for a second time, a title he had lost in 2001 to Lilian Thuram. Keeping all of his fortunes into accounts, his estimated net worth is $75 million as of 2021.
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