 RIO FERDINAND

by Jude Cauchi

Sir Alex Ferguson once claimed that attack wins you games but defence wins you titles. Whether we agree or not with such a statement requires us to dig deeper and analyse data. For example, whilst this might sound surprising, since the Premier League inception, statistics seem to contradict this hypothesis. In fact, official data shows that teams who scored the most goals won the Premier League significantly more times when compared to the teams who conceded fewer goals (such stats can be accessed from the Premier League official website).

In spite of the fact that data analysis is a skill that can give validity and insights to our perspectives, in view that to engage with such a statement requires further analysis which takes into consideration other variables, this article is not intended to try and falsify such a statement. In contrast, rather than treating the two as dichotomies, it is more useful to treat both attack and defence as very important ingredients for the success of the recipe. If we focus on the latter, the success of Manchester United throughout the years has been built around a solid back line consisting of legends which included Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce, Jaap Stam, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand amongst others. Consequently, I also tend to support the philosophy that a solid defence is the basic foundation for success. Unfortunately, recent memories include our bitter rivals Liverpool whose solid defence enabled them to win both domestically as well as in Europe.

Growing up as a Manchester United supporter, I always believed that a United player, amongst other qualities, should possess characteristics such as strength, dribbling, composure, pace, passing and aerial ability. With regard to Rio Ferdinand, in addition to possessing most of these qualities, his attitude and passion to play for the biggest club in England certainly makes him one of the best players to have ever wore the Red Devils shirt.

Having said that, life is full of ups and downs and Rio’s career at United also had its controversies especially early on. In fact, in addition to having signed for a record fee which made him Britain’s most expensive footballer in 2002, signing from bitter rivals Leeds United

and missing a mandatory drug test a year later put him in hot water. Whilst one may argue that this case was a genuine mistake, the Football Association Disciplinary Committee sanctioned the player with a £50,000 fine as well as an eight month ban from football which meant that the centre-back would miss the whole of the 2004 season including the Euro 2004.

In spite of this, the club continued to support the English International and he made his return in September 2004 in a 2-1 win against Liverpool. However, in 2005, Ferdinand again made the wrong headlines and was booed by the United supporters in view of his refusal to renew his contract. At that time, the player not only felt out of touch with the supporters but as a result of his actions, Sir Alex Ferguson also decided to strip him from United’s vicecaptaincy. From a United fan’s perspective, this was very difficult to take and in order to regain his trust, the England International had to work very hard to convince the supporters that he deserved to wear the famous Reds shirt. On the bright side, this was the last controversial incident as Rio revived his United career in the years that followed.

If we were to focus on Rio’s best moments in his United career, the 2006-07 season proved to be a big turning point. In fact, after a dry spell of silverware, the Red Devils during this period managed to go back to winning big as they dominated English football, winning five Premier League trophies, the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup as well as other domestic trophies. Furthermore, in addition to defending, the player also proved to be effective in both providing assists and scoring goals. One may argue that a number of factors contributed to such outcomes, however, one of the key factors which helped Rio Ferdinand to lift his performances and become part of the club’s hall of fame, was the signing of his perfect partner Nemanja Vidic. In fact, the two centre-backs complimented each other perfectly and unsurprisingly are considered by many as one of the best defensive partnerships the Premier League has ever witnessed.

Regretfully though, after twelve years at Manchester United, following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes’s disastrous first season in charge, Rio Ferdinand left the club in 2014 and it is not a secret that the club could have handled his departure in a more respectful manner. Recently, the English International admitted to the media that the way the club handled his departure left him a bitter taste. Such claims can only give more credibility to the perception that the club is solely focused on business rather than on success on the pitch. On the positive side though, current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seems to be changing the culture around the club and hopefully success will soon follow as a result of this approach.

Presently, following his retirement from football, Ferdinand is continuously active on social media and he is also employed as a football pundit on BT Sports. While engaged in this new role, in addition to enhancing his punditry skills, Rio seems to have retained his enthusiasm and passion for Manchester United. Consequently, the fans appreciate the fact that the former Red Devil man also finds time to engage with the supporters on mainstream online channels. When I think about Rio Ferdinand, I remember the nice memories that Manchester United had while Rio was playing for the club. Certainly, memories that will last forever. Finally, whilst I believe that every generation tends to produce different types of footballers and therefore one always needs to look at the context of the situation, as United supporters, we should always be grateful and lucky to have had warriors such as Rio Ferdinand to have represented and contributed to the success of the club for so many years. Thanks for the memories Rio!!!