Peers' Praise For Ferdinand

In 12 years at United, Rio Ferdinand has made a lasting impression on everybody with whom he came into contact with at Old Trafford. Ahead of his testimonial at Old Trafford last summer, coaches and colleagues lavished praise on 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. 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

“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

“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.” - Tom Cleverley

“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

“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

“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

"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, former strength & 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

"I knew he was going to be a special player from the moment he put the shirt on at West Ham. I said he was going to be the best defender in Europe and I was right. He has just been a fantastic player and has enjoyed the career that I thought he would have. He's been top, top class. The best defender I've managed." Harry Redknapp

"Every game I've played with him has been a highlight because he's such a great player who makes everything look so easy. One that stands out is when we won the league at Wigan in 2008. I didn't start the game, but I came on equalled Sir Bobby's appearance record. Rio was captain on the day and we were presented with the trophy after the game. The manager asked him if he would be okay with me lifting the trophy and he immediately said, 'No problem at all', even though it would have been the first time for him to lift it. It just shows you the measure of the man - he was happy to sacrifice lifting it knowing it was obviously a special day for me." Ryan Giggs

"Whenever I get asked about the toughest players I ever played against, I always say it was Jaap Stam in training, but Rio in a competitive game. When we faced him while he was at Leeds, he was so difficult to play against because he reads the game so well, and he was so strong and quick too. With attributes like that, it's no surprise he's stayed at the top for so long." Ole Gunnar Solskjaer