Rio Answers Fans

Rio Ferdinand responds to a grilling from United Review readers...

What have you made of Gary Neville’s move into TV punditry? (Emma Beaumont)
Gary’s found his niche. Finally he’s found somewhere where he’s allowed to talk as much as wants. I can’t believe people actually pay him to do it. We would have paid money to shut him up! Seriously, though, Gary talks a lot of sense. There are hundreds of people out there who have played the game to a similar level, but how many of them are as honest as Gary, or can put their points across as concisely as he does? He’s doing a top job. We’re all pleased for him.

Why did you face the other way for Wayne Rooney’s spot-kick against Aston Villa? (Jack Hayes)
At this stage of the season, when there’s a bit more riding on it, things are a bit more nerve-racking. I just couldn’t watch. I was just waiting for the fans in the Stretford End to react - their response told me it had gone in, thankfully.

You’ve always maintained Diego Maradona is the greatest player ever. Surely Messi’s running him close now? (Qasim Ali)
I’d have to agree, yeah. As a kid Maradona was my hero. I had all the video tapes. Now you’d have to say Messi’s up there, although I’d still have Maradona as my number one. At Napoli, Maradona took a team that was mediocre, at best, and made them champions of Italy. He did something similar with Argentina in 1986 and won the World Cup. The only argument against Messi is that he’s in a team that also possesses arguably the second and third best players in the world in Xavi and Andres Iniesta (although Cristiano Ronaldo is right up there, too). Messi gets a bit more help. Even after Xavi and Iniesta you’ve got Sergio Busquets and David Villa, players who would get into any other team in the world. The one other thing I’d say about Maradona is that you have to remember he did the business in an era when you could kick lumps out of people. Nowadays the players are protected a lot more.