Rio Ferdinand--Five Star--The Biography (18 page)

Rio remained in touch with some of his former teammates and many of them even rang him in the days following the transfer to wish him luck. Rio explained: ‘They haven’t asked why I’ve gone or had a go at me for it. I wouldn’t have held it against any of them if they’d left. We all know that transfers happen in football and that people move on. It’s just part of the game.’

He had left Leeds because he was made an offer he knew
he couldn’t refuse. Man United remained the most glamorous club in the world and he knew he could win the biggest prizes at Old Trafford. Rio hoped that Leeds fans would not blame him even though he feared there might be quite a backlash against him for a while. He also hoped they would understand the reasons for his move. He’d carefully weighed up so many factors and listened hard to Terry Venables – a man he had the utmost respect for. And he fully appreciated what a big gamble Leeds took on him when they paid West Ham £18 million 18 months earlier.

But all Rio’s advisers were saying that he had paid Leeds back handsomely and with interest over that period. He hadn’t short-changed them once, but times had changed at Elland Road. They were seriously cash-strapped and in the end money spoke louder than words.

However, Rio’s fears about a backlash from fans were soon proved true. Leeds supporters cancelled their Player of the Year presentation to prevent Rio collecting the award. Rio had topped the season-long poll, voted for monthly by members of the Leeds supporters club. Fans chief Ray Fell said: ‘In the circumstances it would be folly to invite Rio and hand over the award to him. In this case we have decided to cancel the Player of the Year presentation to Rio and instead we will make a presentation of some sort to someone we feel more worthy of it. His name will be put on our list of winners because the fans voted for him at the time. They loved him when he was happy to play for Leeds United, but that is now in the past.’

Over at BBC Leeds dozens of fans vented their anger by flooding the station with text messages. They included:

‘I remember Jack Charlton being paid over-the-top praise by a sycophantic journalist. With his inimitable style he
said, “My position is the easiest on the pitch,” i.e. central defender. Rio is not irreplaceable.’ John Brook, Leeds.

‘Man U and Ferguson seem to think they are above any regulations. Any other team would have been brought before the FA for what they have done, but the authorities and media love them. Is it any wonder that all genuine supporters dislike them?’ Ian Goldman, Leeds.

‘Goodbye, Rio and, as they say in show business, “break a leg”.’ Dave, Leeds.

‘Rio will be missed after all he is a world class player, however if he wants to be a Judas and go to Man U so be it. After all, we can all show Judas what we think of him when he visits with the scum.’ Des, Wakefield.

‘We got in the Champions League with no help from Judas. He stayed a season and guess what? We failed to qualify. He should remember this: At Leeds, every time (and it happened most games) he made a cock-up when trying to be too elaborate there was big Nige or Robbo to save his blushes. At the scum his errors will be exposed by the French clown that is Barthez. Woody is twice as good, younger and we have the best young keeper in the world. Good riddance, Flopiland.’ Gez, Leeds.

And so it went on. BBC Radio Leeds received countless indignant messages about Rio’s move to ‘the scum’, as many Leeds fans referred to Man United. If Rio thought his move would be achieved with the minimum of anger, he was seriously mistaken.

R
io’s move to Manchester United was intended to address the weakness at the back of United’s defence that had contributed to nine League defeats the previous season. But French stalwart Laurent Blanc was about to turn 36 and there remained many questions about the unit in front of Fabien Barthez. United may have pulled off the transfer coup of the summer by snatching Rio from Leeds, but Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger had also been carefully strengthening his already gifted side and they still looked the stronger team. Wenger warned: ‘If I didn’t believe this side could have more success, I would be wasting my time staying. This is only the beginning.’

Wenger also cleverly stepped up his traditional war of words with Sir Alex Ferguson by saying that Rio wasn’t worth £33 million. It was a backhanded compliment from the Arsenal boss. Ferguson was on the winner’s rostrum at
Aintree Racecourse celebrating a victory by his miler Rock of Gibraltar. He grinned, gave interviews willingly and even cracked a joke about Wenger’s comments.

A few days later Ferguson got his own back by suggesting that the much sought-after Gunner Patrick Vieira ‘would like to play’ for United. No doubt the aura of invincibility at Old Trafford had been shattered, but United would still hammer more teams than most. However, had they become vulnerable to Ferguson’s constant tinkering with the team? The big question now was, had Rio joined a team that had already peaked?

Rio, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes were all given an extra two weeks’ rest after the World Cup. Over the previous year Rio had become particularly close friends with Man United defender Wes Brown – a friendship that was further cemented when they went on holiday to Las Vegas after the World Cup. But now, having moved to Old Trafford, Rio was threatening to force Brown out of the first-team picture. Yet Brown, 23, sportingly hailed Rio as the best centre-half in the world just days after his £33 million transfer was completed.

‘And he’s going to get even better,’ Brown told a group of football reporters. ‘He’s a great buy and I’m sure this season he’ll prove to everyone why we bought him. People say it’s a lot of money, but he’s only 23 and has got many years in him. He’s strong, fast, good in the air and a good reader of the game – he’s a huge signing for us and pretty much the defender you dream about having. He’s proved to everyone over the years how much of a great player he is. He topped that off with the World Cup where he put in a magnificent performance throughout.’

Another one of Rio’s new teammates, veteran Frenchman Laurent Blanc, insisted he couldn’t wait to line
up alongside the new boy. Blanc had delayed retirement plans for another year so as to work with Rio at the heart of Man United’s defence. ‘My desire and the desire to win things at Manchester United is one of the reasons why I decided to come back to play one more year and cancel my decision to retire. I’m looking forward to playing alongside Rio, who is an outstanding player for his age.’

Man United’s outgoing defensive stalwart Denis Irwin was also full of praise for Rio. ‘They needed a centre-back and Rio is as good as anyone out there,’ explained the veteran, released on a free transfer to Wolves at the end of last season after 12 years at Old Trafford.

Rio quickly made it perfectly clear that one of his next ambitions was to succeed Roy Keane as Man United’s skipper. He even told one reporter: ‘I will only get it if I deserve it.’ It wasn’t a very tactful statement to make to his new teammates, but Rio’s ambition never stood still. No sooner had he achieved one thing than he was moving on to the next. And there was no doubting his determination when he wanted something.

Just a few days after arriving at Old Trafford, Rio persuaded Sir Alex Ferguson – the ultimate tough-guy manager – to let him make his Man United debut against Bournemouth in a friendly testimonial to their manager Mel Machin after just two training sessions with his new teammates. Machin happened to be on the phone to Ferguson when Rio was in his Old Trafford office and the deal was done on the spot.

All eyes were on Rio from the minute he stepped out to warm up with his teammates at Bournemouth a couple of days later. And they included Juan Sebastian Veron, Ryan Giggs and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Eight-and-a-half thousand packed into Bournemouth’s Dean Court ground to see the
return of their prodigal son. This pre-season friendly of little sporting significance was even beamed live on MUTV across the world, with China among the countries transmitting the match. A global audience of some 60 million was believed to have tuned into Rio’s Man United debut. That meant 60 million people had paid a fee to watch him, even though he only ended up coming on for the final quarter of the game.

The money spent on Rio’s transfer would soon be recouped. The bare facts were that Bournemouth’s most expensive signing in the team against United cost the equivalent of 12 days’ worth of Rio’s wages. Same sport, different worlds. No surprise then that Mel Machin’s first words to his one-time trainee were, ‘My word, you’ve grown’ when he saw Rio just before the kick-off. The Bournemouth boss did add: ‘Rio is now fulfilling the promise he showed.’

Rio was in fine form when he attended a press conference after the game, which United won 3–2. Rio even sportingly refused to allow the press to forget the main purpose of the match. He said: ‘This is Mel’s day. He deserves all the praise in the world.’ Rio saw it as his way of thanking Machin for his help when he’d played at Bournemouth as a 17-year-old. ‘It was great to get out there and I really enjoyed myself. I’m relieved I got that one out of the way. I am now looking forward to the challenge ahead. I just want to get the season started and to start playing football with United. I told Mel I was going to play in this game and I was determined to honour that. He did a lot for me when I was at Bournemouth all those years ago, and I really wanted to come out and join everyone in paying tribute to him.

‘It was great to get on the pitch at last and I really
enjoyed it, even if I did only get 17 minutes. The United fans gave me a great reception. I am really looking forward to getting the League season started now and getting United back where they belong. I’m nowhere near match fitness – but this is just the beginning. It’s a chance for us to get to know each other and play together against good opposition, so we’re looking forward to it.’

And one-time Old Trafford manager Big Ron Atkinson had no doubt United were on to a winner with Rio: ‘He will solve one of their problem areas – but they still require extra defensive cover and need to resolve how to fit Juan Veron into their midfield. And they need someone to link up with Ruud van Nistelrooy.’

Clearly, Rio and his agent Pini Zahavi had come out the real winners from his transfer to Manchester United. He was on a salary of more than £60,000 a week, putting him up there with the club’s top names, including David Beckham. His five-year contract also granted him ownership of his image rights, allowing him to negotiate lucrative commercial deals. Then there was the small matter of the £3.3 million the club had agreed to pay to cover a pension contribution to the Professional Footballers Association, plus a payment of the agents’ fees.

Naturally, all this haggling didn’t stop Rio splashing out £190,000 on a Bentley GT Coupe to match the tastes of his superstar teammate David Beckham. Some at Old Trafford immediately dubbed the new teammates the Bentley Boys. With a £110,000 Ferrari and that £168,000 Aston Martin already in the driveway, plus a two-seater Mercedes sports car and a 4x4 Escapade, Rio still went for the Bentley, a brand-new model not even in the showrooms yet. Rio put down a £50,000 deposit to make sure he got one of the first
off the production line. Rio was told to expect delivery of the car, complete with white leather seats, walnut dashboard, DVD player and mini-TV screens, by mid-winter of 2002. By that time he hoped to have settled in a Cheshire mansion. Local estate agents were already on the lookout for a property with a pool, gym, snooker room and jacuzzi.

But despite the high salary, flashy motors and beautiful brunette Rebecca on his arm, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Rio received at least 10 death threats in the days following his transfer to Man United. Senior officials at the Professional Footballers Association were alerted, as well as the police. Two meaty ex-SAS bodyguards were immediately assigned to protect Rio whenever he was at the club’s training ground or Old Trafford. One source at the club explained: ‘Rio usually just shrugs this stuff off – but these letters are more sinister. They have gone too far.’

Many believed the threats had been fuelled during Leeds’s close-season tour of Australia and the Far East when a handful of Leeds fans started waving banners saying ‘Rio is scum’ and ‘We’re going to get you.’ Televised in England, these scenes provoked a number of bigoted Leeds fans who seemed hell-bent on proving the club’s race issue was far from dead. Rio was disturbed by the threats but a kid from Peckham’s Friary Estate was not that easily scared. As he told one old pal in south-east London: ‘I’ve had a lot worse before. These people don’t scare me. They’re just crazy, from a different world. Not even worth talking about.’

But at Rio’s mum’s house in Mottingham a security guard was also on duty because of taunts made in the street to members of Rio’s family. As he told his friend: ‘Now that does bother me. They’re havin’ a dig at my family and that’s completely out of order.’

Sir Alex Ferguson was warned by his financial bosses at Man United that he would not be able to buy any more big names following the vast outlay on Rio. He even admitted: ‘We’re not well off with money so that we do a Real Madrid and just buy anyone. We do worry about debt. We’re a plc. It’s a different culture. So if I want to buy two or three players I might have to sell. If I see the right players available I could do that. It’s a buyer’s market at the moment and there are a few very good players available who you could get for a lot less than this time last year.’

That left chief executive Peter Kenyon to interpret his manager’s words: ‘The reality is that whether you pay £10 million or £30 million it has to be in line with what you can afford. The reality of the situation to date is that you can’t just keep spending and adding players to the squad.’

But Kenyon did reveal that Rio’s transfer deal had been carefully structured with a series of delayed payments over the next five years. ‘You don’t spend £30 million on a player lightly, but it was a real target. We decided at the end of last season that the area that needed strengthening was the defence. We have a payment structure that covers the next 12 months and a performance-related element for the next five years. We will be delighted if over the five-year period we have to pay that.’ While Kenyon called it a ‘£30 million deal’, the total spent on Rio was at least £33 million if all the ‘extras’ are included.

And, typically, Ferguson was soon issuing a warning to Rio and any others who might think they would be automatically selected. ‘It’s simple. If players perform, they’ll go in. If they don’t, they won’t. Performance is everything. You can’t go beyond that. Reputations don’t matter, I’m sorry. I’m the manager of the biggest club in the world, with the biggest support base in the world, and my
loyalty is to them. I’ve also got loyalty to the players, obviously, but the bottom line is I’ve got to produce a winning team. That’s where decision making comes into it. I’ve been given that job and I’ve never shirked it.’

Not surprisingly, Man United were quickly installed as the bookmakers’ favourites to win the 2002–3 Premiership. Ferguson pointed out: ‘We should be favourites to win the Premiership because we have the best players. We have been the best over a number of years. Some people say there has been a shift in power to Arsenal but that is only after one season. It is up to us to get back on track and win the League again. I have to produce a winning team. It is a hard business being at the top and only the very best can do it. Some individuals keep driving themselves. They get annoyed with themselves when things are wrong and that’s what you like to see.

‘But some take it for granted and if you do that you eventually run out of time. You give them every chance because you trust them and because they have always responded in the past when we’ve had a bad season. Now they must respond again. But if they keep failing there’s nothing you can do. You pick them but they drop themselves. If that happens again maybe you change the whole team – more likely you just change one or two.’

And Ferguson would drop Rio Ferdinand if he deserved it. ‘I’ve been given this job and have never shirked it. You might think it’s hard, the players might think it’s hard. but it’s not. I remember that this club went 26 years without winning the League and since then things have changed around here. But there are still some fans, some people at Old Trafford and even some directors who don’t remember the Manchester United who once came behind Liverpool.’

Summing up his attitude for the coming season, he
continued: ‘Last season we were very unlike Manchester United and that will not happen again. We won’t lose nine games again this season and we won’t lose six at home. Last season was littered with mistakes – individuals’ mistakes. One match it would be one individual making a mistake, the next it was someone else and that’s what we have to eradicate.’

Over at Leeds United, new boss Terry Venables had decided after all not to splash out much of the £30-million-plus fee for Rio on new players. Rio’s old defensive partner Jonathan Woodgate lined up alongside Dominic Matteo in the middle of the park and produced a good performance during a pre-season friendly 1–0 victory over Barnsley. Woodgate was so quick and commanding that many believed Rio might not be so sorely missed after all. Leeds fans claimed that Woodgate could soon be challenging Rio for his England shirt. They chanted for an international call-up after three pieces of world-class defending by Woodgate during the first 45 minutes of play against Barnsley.

A couple of days after the Barnsley victory, Terry Venables confirmed that Matteo would succeed Rio as the long-term captain of Leeds. The new Elland Road boss made his decision after the 28-year-old ex-Liverpool player skippered the side during their three-match tour of the Far East and Australia.