Rio Ferdinand--Five Star--The Biography (10 page)

Three weeks later West Ham’s managing director, Paul Aldridge, responded further to the Leeds situation: ‘I don’t know how many times I have to deny all this. Rio is not for sale. We have not had any discussions with Leeds and there is no truth to the rumour. It has been like this for two or three years now and we are becoming a bit immune to it and it doesn’t really bother us too much. It has literally been tens and tens of times and the rumours are tiresome. Rio is an important part of the team and we have got no plans to sell him.’

A couple of days later Harry Redknapp publicly stated that Rio would only quit Upton Park to play abroad and
not for a Premiership rival. ‘Rio has made it absolutely clear to me that if and when he does leave West Ham, he’ll be going to one of the top Italian or Spanish clubs.’ Then a fresh round of rumours circulated that Rio was on the verge of signing for Leeds in a £15-million deal. A typically blunt Harry Redknapp instantly hit back: ‘I’m sick to death of hearing that Rio’s on his way to Leeds. It just isn’t going to happen.’

Meanwhile many were speculating that Rio’s superb form for West Ham meant he would make England’s 22-man squad for Euro 2000 despite Kevin Keegan’s reservations. But Rio didn’t make it in the end. Many football commentators were shocked by the England boss’s decision, and one wrote: ‘It seems appalling that someone with Ferdinand’s ability will be left at home this summer.’

So Rio, Frank Lampard junior and Newcastle’s Kieron Dyer, plus Leeds players Jonathan Woodgate and Michael Duberry, headed instead for the five-star Grecian Bay resort in the popular resort of Ayia Napa, in Cyprus, for a well-deserved summer break. They had all played together for the England Under 21 team. All Rio’s pledges about living a low-key lifestyle soon crumbled in the searing Mediterranean heat.

One holidaymaker who joined the young soccer stars during their holiday insisted: ‘They were drinking themselves into oblivion most days. They treated the women who flocked round them like pieces of meat.’

By 4.30 pm on the afternoon they arrived, Rio and his friends had positioned themselves at the railings of a local bar to ogle women. Other tourists were soon complaining about their language. Lifeguards had earlier issued a warning to Rio and the others to show respect to holidaymakers on the beach.

Soon the group were lining up shots of neat vodka and taking it in turns to run up to a glass, drink it and then dash back before running to the next one. Four hours later Rio and his friends were virtually the only ones left drinking at the bar.

None of these highly paid professional footballers had even bothered to watch England’s game against Portugal in Euro 2000, which was being televised live on a screen in the corner of the bar.

A number of women later accompanied Rio, Dyer and Lampard to their hotel suite. None of these women realised that when one of the players’ non-footballing friends held a camcorder and followed them around the bedroom he was intending to turn the footage into an amateur hardcore-porn video. At one stage the ‘cameraman’ announced into the camera’s microphone: ‘We are about to encrypt. If you really want to see the following programme you will have to pay £12.99.’

Rio allegedly had another camera hidden at the base of his divan bed while one of the women – a beautiful English blonde – shared her most intimate thoughts with him, unaware everything was being recorded. She lay naked on the bedcover as Rio – also naked – stood astride the bed. The camera then caught them both writhing on the bed. Rio waited until the woman’s back was to the camera before waving at the lens as if it was all one big joke. He also pretended to kick a ball and celebrate scoring a goal.

When the woman turned away, Rio raised his hand over her head and jerked a finger in her direction before cackling with laughter. Other scenes showed Dyer and Lampard in similar intimate scenarios. Rio was then heard on the video slurring his words as he boasted that he could keep going
for the following 24 hours. ‘The way I’m feeling at the moment I could be in a swimming pool.’ At least 15 minutes of the video was devoted to Rio making love to the same stunning blonde.

Another scene in the same video showed Lampard in an orgy with two women who seemed to be completely unaware they were being filmed. Eventually he ordered them to look at the camera and they were clearly horrified. A sordid and meaningless attempt at lesbian sex between the two women then followed.

And Rio’s reaction when he was later confronted by a tabloid reporter did him no favours either. ‘What do you see me doing?’ he challenged the journalist. ‘The camera wasn’t hidden at the bottom of the bed. The girl consented. If I’d been caught degrading a woman I’ll put my hands up. But I’ve never degraded a woman in my life.’

But the women encountered by Rio and his Merry Men thought otherwise. One, Michelle, said: ‘It makes me feel sick to my stomach.’

Michelle reported that all the football stars downed beer, vodka and Red Bull cocktails and even refused to buy drinks for any of the women before persuading them to go to their hotel. Rio was also photographed drink-driving as he weaved his way back to their hotel on a rented scooter. Neither he nor his footballer pals even bothered to wear helmets. Would Rio never learn?

Back in London, there was bitter disappointment about Rio’s behaviour in Ayia Napa. While he could be forgiven for the drink-driving offence since he was only 18 at the time, the same could not be said for this latest episode. Others implied that while Rio’s talent was not in doubt, his attitude towards training at West Ham left a lot to be
desired. By contrast, Rio has always insisted that he was a very dedicated trainer.

Even the normally relaxed Harry Redknapp was infuriated by the behaviour of Rio and Lampard. He told one reporter: ‘I spoke to Rio. I’ve told him that he has to be careful. He knows he was in the wrong.’ Redknapp had issued a stark warning to his two young stars players. ‘They have to be careful because there’s always a bird willing to earn a few bob by selling a story to a newspaper about a famous footballer’s bedroom habits and prowess, giving him marks out of 10 and some other nonsense. That’s how football’s gone. Big business yes, but that means there’s always someone out there looking to make a few quid by selling a story about you.’

Some felt that Rio’s appalling behaviour in Ayia Napa might have been sparked by his disappointment at not being picked for Keegan’s Euro 2000 squad. Even Rio himself admitted: ‘I was very, very disappointed. I thought I was good enough to be picked. It was a blow to the old confidence, I will admit.’ But surely that was not a sufficient excuse to embark on an orgy of drink and sex?

But, despite his holiday antics, speculation was still rife that Rio was on his way to Leeds United. He reacted very coolly to the stories. ‘I’ve come to expect these type of rumours at this time of year. It’s happened every season since I’ve been playing in West Ham’s first team, so it’s nothing new.’ But then he left the door wide open by adding: ‘I have never talked to anyone from Leeds. They are a big club with plenty of tradition but, like West Ham, they haven’t won anything for a while now.’

Today Rio admits that being snubbed by Kevin Keegan for Euro 2000 was the crunch point in his career that was probably the making of him. ‘I’d begun to think I was
invincible. To get complacent with my game and I didn’t prepare for matches properly. I fully expected to be picked for the team and, when I wasn’t, I think it made me take stock.’

Others things also helped Rio ‘take stock’, as he put it; such as the fact that most other people were not as well off as him. He’d been particularly touched to get a letter from a 14-year-old boy in Ghana. ‘He sent a photo of himself. He was really poor, with holes in his boots and a raggy kit. He wrote that he had posters of me all over his bedroom wall. He had looked around the world for a player to give him pointers on his game – and plumped for me. I thought, Wow, this kid’s all the way from Ghana and I’m his idol.’

Rio believed that letter put everything into its right perspective. He was incredibly lucky and he had to be more careful from now on if he was to avoid any more pitfalls. ‘I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well. My main fear was that I wouldn’t be an England regular. If I didn’t play for England again I’d have been gutted.’

R
io knew the fast-approaching 2000–1 Premiership season could prove a watershed for him and he admitted: ‘Every season is a big one for me, but I want to get the most out of it. Now it’s time for some hard graft. I want to get down to the nitty-gritty. It’s time my football did the talking.’ Behind the scenes, football giants Barcelona were also considering whether to make an offer for Rio. Deep down he knew that unless he left West Ham his England career might well run out of steam. Not being in the Euro 2000 squad confirmed his worst fears and it was a devastating blow to his pride and confidence. Kevin Keegan’s decision was a wake-up call for the young defender. It didn’t matter how much talent he had; unless it was properly used and carefully developed, then his career could plunge into free fall. And his behaviour in Cyprus hadn’t done his standing much good, either.

Many later interpreted the outrageous antics of Rio and his mates as indicative of young men losing control. Rio had good reason to be worried. Perhaps a move to Leeds would help him get away from all those bad influences in London. Also, he could ask for no better a tutor than the boss at Elland Road, David O’Leary. True, the Irishman wouldn’t stand for any of the indiscipline that was tolerated at West Ham and he’d probably give Rio a few harsh lessons, but it was no more than he deserved. Rio was realistic enough to know the time was approaching when he had to escape the unhealthy influences on his life.

Harry Redknapp and Hammers chairman Terry Brown knew the day would eventually come when Rio would leave Upton Park. But for the moment they wanted to hang on to their young investment. Rio’s value seemed to be escalating at the rate of around £1 million a month. By the end of that year – 2000 – he would probably be worth something like £20 million. To West Ham, that seemed a decent mark-up on a player who’d started with them on £35 a week.

In the summer of 2000 the chairman of Leeds United, Peter Ridsdale, made a point of telling a number of football journalists: ‘We haven’t made a bid for Rio Ferdinand and will not be making a bid for him.’ Not surprisingly, his comments were taken with a pinch of salt.

Back to Harry Redknapp, who on 12 August told reporters: ‘The chairman of Leeds is trying to manipulate a deal. It’s unsettling for Rio and for this club, and I’m fed up. I know what’s been going on. If Barcelona knock on the door we’ve got real problems because I couldn’t say “no” to the boy. But why should we sell him to Leeds? He’s better off here.’

Ridsdale then hit back at West Ham. ‘Some weeks ago I asked West Ham’s chairman if Rio was for sale. He wasn’t, so I asked to be kept informed. We’ve made no bid, nor
would we unless West Ham’s position altered. I’m disappointed West Ham’s manager appears to imply something different.’

Redknapp, facing numerous injury problems the week before the Hammers’ first match of the season, at Chelsea, insisted he could well play Rio despite some worries about his fitness. ‘I’ll have no problem bringing Rio straight back in. He’s like a Rolls-Royce – you just start him up and he goes straight away.’

Away from football, Rio found himself linked with beautiful Sky TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher. Rio refused to talk about the relationship, but he did reveal his attitude to love and sex in one newspaper interview. ‘I’ve been out with a few models and I’ve slept with girls but I haven’t had a proper relationship since I left school. If I get too involved with someone, my mind strays off football. You don’t have to go out with a girl to have sex with her. I don’t need a companion all the time. What I really like is going out with my mates, mucking about and having a laugh.’

Then Kirsty got quite a shock when she interrogated Harry Redknapp about the latest crop of Rio transfer rumours. ‘Come on, Harry – what’s really going on with Rio?’ she asked.

Redknapp cheekily retorted: ‘You should know – you’ve been dating him for three months.’

Kirsty immediately changed the subject, but a Sky insider said later: ‘Harry was out of order. Kirsty was very upset but didn’t show it. It wasn’t very gentlemanly of him, whether or not it was true.’

In fact, Rio’s relationship with Kirsty never even got off the ground. He seemed to be determined to stick to his pledge not to have a serious romance in case it affected his
football. Rio’s main aim was to keep any sordid details about his love life away from the people who really mattered – his family and old friends back in Peckham.

There remained genuine fears that Rio was still too close to temptation to stay on track for soccer stardom. He had lived in London all his life; his friends were there, the club was there and it wasn’t clear if he really did know how to say ‘no’. Rio later admitted: ‘I used to go out raving and partying all the time. My mates used to ring me up and say, there’s a party here, a party there, and I’d be the first one to say, “Let’s go.” I was easily led. I was getting out and about at the wrong times, drinking and everything, chatting up the girls, staying out too late.’

In his heart of hearts Rio knew that things had to change if he was going to climb to the next level of his career.

In November 2000 Rio took a call from the Hammers’ managing director, Paul Aldridge, which would change the course of his life. The club was seriously considering an £18-million offer for him from Leeds United. ‘It was a big turning point in my life,’ Rio recalled. ‘There was a lot of speculation, and West Ham were saying they weren’t going to sell me, but then I got that call. I was shocked because I hadn’t asked to leave but then I thought, If they want to sell me, then I’m going to go. When I heard the size of the fee I thought, Bloody hell, or something stronger.’

Now it looked as if after all the denials, West Ham were prepared to accept a bid. They’re willing to let me go, Rio thought to himself. It’s time for a new chapter. I’ve got to talk to Leeds.

On Thursday, 23 November Peter Ridsdale flew to London and booked into the plush Conrad Hotel at Chelsea Harbour. He and the club secretary of Leeds, Ian
Silvester, then got a taxi to meet Rio’s trusted agent Pini Zahavi at the Langham Hotel in central London. Half an hour later Rio turned up and introduced Ridsdale to his mother, who wanted reassurance about how life up north would be for her son.

Janice had been privy to all the protracted negotiations behind the Leeds move. ‘People were saying of Rio, “West Ham are definitely going to sell him.” We even spoke to our friends the footballers Ian Wright and Paul Ince about it and came to the conclusion that if he was going to leave it had to be to go somewhere that was going to take care of Rio.’

And Rio later recalled of his meeting with Ridsdale: ‘Five minutes with their chairman and my mind was made up. The key was that I was talking to people whose ambition matched mine. If my family was okay about the move, it was going to happen. Mum and Dad said to me, “Whatever you’re happy with, we’ll be 100 per cent behind you,” which is the way it’s been all my life.’

Just before Rio’s meeting with Ridsdale, Chelsea had made a last-minute bid to snatch him away from Leeds. Chelsea – armed with £12 million from the sale of Norwegian Tore Andre Flo to Glasgow Rangers – were prepared to go to £20 million. It can now be revealed for the first time that Rio turned down Chelsea because he’d always hated them even as a kid. Rio later told one old friend back in Peckham: ‘I don’t like Chelsea. They’re too flash for my liking.’ And Rio always liked being the centre of attention wherever he went. As his old friend explained: ‘Rio would have been well down the pecking order after players like Desailly, Zola and Hasselbank. And that’s not good news for someone like Rio.’

Puzzled former Leeds boss George Graham – now at Tottenham – was scratching his head at Rio’s proposed
move to Leeds because he’d never had the funds to finance such a deal when he was at Elland Road only two years earlier. ‘I only ever had £14 million to spend on 11 players yet in my first full season we finished fifth in the Premiership,’ he pointed out.

At 9.30 am on Friday, 24 November, Rio turned up at West Ham’s training ground. It was just over 12 hours since he and Peter Ridsdale had parted company with a handshake. Most of Rio’s West Ham teammates were still making their way through the morning traffic and the players’ car park had more autograph hunters than cars in it.

Many present at Chadwell Heath that morning wanted to know why Rio – strongly rumoured to already be a Leeds player – had turned up at his old club. And some of the kids hanging around still felt obliged to make one last desperate plea. ‘Don’t go, Rio,’ a couple of them begged. ‘We’ll miss you. Stay here. You don’t wanna go to Leeds. It’s better here than up there.’ Why was he heading for Leeds? One youngster even pointed out: ‘It’s not like you’re going to Manchester United. Now they really are a really big club.’

Rio felt a bit embarrassed because he knew there was already no turning back. He then sauntered sheepishly into the changing rooms for the last time, but he couldn’t train because of a groin strain. There followed a 40-minute session with West Ham physiotherapist John Green in the treatment room. Then Rio spent five minutes chatting with Harry Redknapp in his office. As Rio’s boss later recalled: ‘By the time he walked out I was none the wiser about what he’d decided.’ He thought there might still be a chance Rio would stay at West Ham. ‘My wife asked me the previous night if I thought he would go, and I told her I honestly didn’t know.’

Other players – such as West Ham’s England vet Stuart Pearce – told Rio they’d love him to stay, but most of them
sensed he was on his way out of the door. In fact Rio already had a plane ticket to Leeds booked before he set foot in the training ground.

Eventually Rio emerged from the changing rooms wearing a smart suit and carrying a black plastic bag of West Ham kit – memories, souvenirs – which he then put in the boot of his brand-new silver-blue Aston Martin. None of the fans who were there earlier noticed Rio leave. Their attention was on a field on the other side of the building where the first team were taking part in a training session

An hour later Rio pulled up in the driveway of his mother’s house in Mottingham and asked her: ‘What happens if that’s the last time I go to West Ham?’

Janice recalled: ‘Rio was very emotional.’

Behind the scenes, Pini Zahavi was still haggling about the amount of compensation due to Rio because he had not requested a transfer.

Two days later – on Sunday, 26 November 2000 – Rio finally signed on the dotted line for Leeds United before watching his new teammates beat Arsenal 1–0 at Elland Road. At a packed press conference before the match, Rio explained the reasons behind his move: ‘I am very pleased to be joining such an ambitious club. It came as a big surprise when West Ham accepted a bid for me. The manager’s ideas here at Leeds played a big part in me moving here. I saw the squad here, which also had a big effect. I appreciate what West Ham have done for me, although this is a new chapter in my career. Hopefully my career can now start going again.’

That last remark made it clear that Rio believed he could not achieve any more at West Ham. And he certainly wasn’t going to let the massive fee bother him. ‘The fee involved doesn’t concern me. I’m here to play football.’

But the question on every Leeds fan’s lips was: ‘If David O’Leary ever gets all the members of his squad fit at the same time, who makes way for Rio Ferdinand?’ Rio was undoubtedly earmarked as long-term cover for 31-year-old Leeds and South Africa skipper Lucas Radebe. Many believed that Rio had arrived just in the nick of time to save Leeds. Besides injuries, they also had the fast-approaching trial of Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer to consider. It’s not known to this day whether Rio fully appreciated the huge impact that their case would have on the future of Leeds United.

A few hours after signing with Leeds, Rio spoke to his dad on the phone. ‘Eighteen million,’ said Julian. He paused. ‘Who would have thought it when you was a young boy in Peckham? But we didn’t pay it. Just get on with it, don’t think about it, the money don’t mean nothing to you, you didn’t make the price. It’s not your concern.’

Julian’s advice helped him put the transfer fee to the back of his mind. Rio explained: ‘My mates don’t speak about it, my family doesn’t speak about it, the lads at Leeds don’t bring it up and I don’t carry on like I’m an £18-million player. I don’t think I’m greater than anyone else, just one of the lads, as willing as anyone to roll up his sleeves and get on with it. I try to see it in a positive way. If a club shells out that kind of money, they must feel you’re a good player and that instils a bit of confidence in you. But that’s it, for me it is not an issue otherwise.’

And Rio was deeply irritated that some people presumed his decision to sign for Leeds was only about money. He insisted: ‘I am not a money-mad sort of person. I never had much money when I was young and I always found that what I earned at West Ham was more than enough. To my
parents and my mates, the money I earn is absurd. My concern at the time of moving to Leeds was how my family felt about it.’

Besides his mum, Rio’s family by this time consisted of his 15-year-old brother Anton, who was about to sign YTS forms with West Ham, Sian, eight, and Chloe, three, and two-year-old Jeremiah. They remained the single most important element in his life. As Rio explained: ‘When I ring home Jeremiah hollers into the phone, “Rio, Rio,” like they sing in football games. He’s mad, just mad. But that was the hard thing about coming up to Leeds, missing family.’

Janice already knew she’d have to make many visits up to see Rio during those first few months at Leeds. Rio couldn’t boil an egg without her help. He also struggled with the washing and ironing and just about every other domestic chore.

Within days of arriving in Leeds he was full of praise for the city. ‘The people are warm and really friendly. In London, sometimes, the people can be harsher. I have been really made to feel at home up here and the thing that strikes me more than anything else is that everyone’s for Leeds. It’s a one-club city and everyone here wants you to do well.’