Views Of Rio: In Quotes

In eleven years at United, Rio Ferdinand has made a lasting impression on everybody with whom he has come into contact. Coaches and colleagues unite in their praise of the Reds' no.5...

“The standard he’s been playing at for so long and still plays at now is incredible and his hunger and desire to still want to win is fantastic. He is a great example for any young centre-half or any young player for that matter. To have played alongside him for all these years and see how far he’s come has been a pleasure.” - Michael Carrick

"Rio is a good leader of the team and I am happy to be his team-mate. I look at the way he acts because he is one of the oldest players in the team. He is still very friendly towards all the players playing around him. It's nice that he is always the same. He is very happy, very funny and an extrovert. I try to get in on his jokes all the time!” - Nani

“Rio is a great player and has unbelievable composure on the ball. That’s really important for a centre-back. Whenever he has the ball he never panics. He’s also a very intelligent player; he always knows which position he needs to be in. For me to have played alongside him for so many years has been a privilege. We have won a lot of trophies together and I hope we will win more. He’s also a good guy and a good friend. For him to have played for over 10 years at United is a big achievement and in my opinion he is one of the best centre-backs in the world.” - Patrice Evra

“Rio’s composure sticks out for me. He never looks panicked and that relaxes everyone around him. As a goalkeeper, when you see him on the ball so calm under pressure you know he’s not going to give the ball away or get tackled. Even from goal kicks he’ll be screaming for the ball and you think it might be a bit risky but it’s not: he’ll deal with it, either by giving it back to you or by finding someone else. He almost never loses the ball.” - Ben Amos

“He’s a great guy around the dressing room. He’s been a great servant for the club and one of the world’s best defenders for years; he thoroughly deserves a great night for his testimonial.” - Tom Cleverley

“He has played for over 10 years now at United and has had a great career. As a person he is great fun and someone who really helps the young players. He helped me a lot when I arrived here and he still helps me now.” - Fabio

“From the first time I played with Rio on England duty, I knew he was going to be a top drawer footballer. He was a Rolls Royce of a player who could easily glide past people with pace and skill. You think about his size, too, and he had everything that a complete player needs in modern football. At the 2002 World Cup he showed himself to be one of the very best defenders in the world, and he's just gotten better and better since then.” - Nicky Butt

“Rio's got to be among the top ten defenders of all time, certainly at United and probably in Europe. When you look at the span of his career, from the early improvements he made at West Ham to his time at Manchester United, he's always progressed, always managed to deliver his potential.” - Mike Phelan, former assistant manager

“I think the key to Rio is his composure and play on the ball. He was a centre-back who could come out with the ball and, many years ago, that wasn’t a big thing in English football but it is now essential in the modern game. He has played for Manchester United for eleven years, and he could have played for Barcelona or Real Madrid. I think that’s as big a compliment as I could pay him.” - Steve McClaren, former England manager

"I saw a lot of new players come into United and be completely overshadowed by the array of big personalities in the dressing room. There was never any danger of that with Rio. Even as a young man at West Ham and Leeds, he'd shown himself to be a natural leader full of strong qualities, and those shone through as soon as he joined United, where he just slotted in alongside some really huge figures." - Mick Clegg, United’s former strength and conditioning coach

“Mark Viduka and I were caught up in Rio’s move to Leeds. I think we were financed out to someone so that the transfer could actually happen. When we were asked to do that, Mark and I just agreed because getting a player like that was a real coup.” - Dominic Matteo, former Leeds United defender