Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and was a member of three FIFA World Cup squads. He announced his retirement from professional football on 30 May 2015. In September 2017, Ferdinand announced his intention to become a professional boxer to help him cope with the death of his wife.
About Rio Ferdinand in brief
Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and was a member of three FIFA World Cup squads. He is one of the most decorated English footballers of all time and regarded by many as one of England’s greatest ever players. 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. Ferdinand is the son of an Irish mother, Janice Lavender, and an Afro-Saint Lucian father, Julian Ferdinand. He grew up in Peckham in a large family, his mother was one of six children and his father arrived in Britain with ten other family members. His cousin Les Ferdinand and former Dagenham & Redbridge midfielder Kane Ferdinand are his cousins. Ferdinand attended the Central School of Ballet in London for four years, travelling four days a week to the city centre to attend the ballet classes. He was an able child and represented Southwark in gymnastics at the London Youth Games. At age 10 he had been invited to train at the Queens Park Rangers academy, and at age 11 won a scholarship to the school. He trained with Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Millwall and Queens Park Park Rangers during his youth. Ferdinand was ever curious of different places and travelled to Middlesbrough’s training ground to play vb vb. He also trained with the youth teams at Eltham Town and Millwall.
He won the Hammer of the Year award at West Ham United in 1996. He made his professional Premier League debut in 1996 and became a fan favourite. 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. He joined Manchester United in July 2002 for around £30 million, breaking the transfer fee record once more. 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, ended when his contract expired in 2014, and he played for just one season before being released from the club as a result of their relegation from the Premier League. His brother, Anton, also a center-back, last played for St Mirren. Former England international striker Les Ferdinand is his cousin. He has a son, Anton Ferdinand, who is also a centre back, and a daughter, Lizzie Ferdinand, a midfielder and a former England Under 21 international. Ferdinand’s mother was a child carer, his father as a tailor. His parents never married and they separated when he was 14 years old, and they moved to a nearby estate, and took the kids to football training and to local parks.
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This page is based on the article Rio Ferdinand published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 01, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
