Rio Ferdinand--Five Star--The Biography (23 page)

B
y 2010, Rio Ferdinand seemed to be a character in quieter, more reflective mood, and he preferred to chill out at home in the Cheshire village of Alderley Edge. Here, much of his precious spare time was spent with his wife Rebecca Ellison and their three young children. Rio and Rebecca had married in the summer of 2009. The likes of
OK!
and
Hello!
magazines were pointedly not invited to the lavish ceremony, which took place on the British Virgin Islands, but Rio was unrepentant. He was fiercely protective of his privacy, and saw his marriage as a celebration of his love for his family, a part of his life removed from the media publicity machine. He was growing frustrated with the constant rumours in the press that his recurring injuries were putting his entire career in jeopardy. ‘I don’t do stuff like that,’ he told
The Guardian
a year later. ‘It’s not my game.’

It was hard to be as famous as Rio Ferdinand, though, and not be approached by the press and public. Even a modest break, like a caravan holiday with his family in the North Wales resort of Prestatyn, ran into difficulties. He later admitted that it was tricky because he had been constantly asked to sign autographs.

Consequently wary of the media glare, Rio opted to keep a low profile in his home village, with a golden rule that he would never discuss his private life in public. From time to time, he was obliged to participate in some kind of promotional activity – a clothing brand he had recently launched, for example – but mostly he kept himself to himself.

What concerned him now was the growing problem of what he might do after retiring from football. He was now thirty-one years old, and a man who readily used the phrase ‘free spirit’ to describe his own character, unwilling to pigeonhole himself. He had even dipped a toe into the world of celluloid, helping to finance a feature film called
Dead Man Running,
starring Danny Dyer and the rapper 50 Cent.

When
The Guardian’
s reporter Stephen Moss visited Rio in Alderley Edge in early 2010, he found a player who showed the same sort of voluble support for Fabio Capello as he did for Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford. ‘The best thing about [Capello] is he’s black and white. You know exactly what he wants from you before you go out on the pitch, and that’s what we’ve lacked in the last few campaigns. He says, “This is what I want, this is what I expect, this is what I demand” – and if you can’t do it, regardless of who you are, you won’t play.’

Rio’s philosophy towards his career was to stay grounded by having his friends and family close by. ‘If you surrender
those relationships you grew up with,’ he told
The Guardian,
‘and become cocooned in a world where you just go to football, come home, go shopping, go to restaurants, go to clubs, you can easily fall into that trap. But if you get the right people around you, they can shield you from that.’ Not that he felt hostile towards fans, though. If anything, it was troubling when no-one came up to say hello. ‘If someone’s not asking me for an autograph then I’ve got to worry because I must be [playing] shit.’

Rio’s tranquil life in Cheshire contrasted sharply with more high-profile troubles in top-flight football. After his unfortunate exit from the World Cup in 2010, his period of convalescence was extended when he missed all of Manchester United’s pre-season training, the Community Shield match at Wembley, and the first four games of United’s next season. He finally returned in September, but the pattern of brief comebacks and long spells off the pitch would continue throughout the new season – this time aggravated by a calf injury. Ferdinand would subsequently rate the 2010/2011 season as one to forget, not least because relations between him and the England manager were to deteriorate further.

On 19 March 2011, ahead of England’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales, Fabio Capello announced that John Terry would return as permanent England captain, with Ferdinand demoted to vice-captain. Rio was bemused by Capello’s decision. He had relished his role as skipper and felt Capello was being very unfair by dropping him from the captain’s role, especially considering Terry had originally been dropped after media claims that he had an affair with the then-partner of his England teammate, Wayne Bridge. ‘I think one year’s punishment is enough,’ explained the manager.

The full extent of Rio’s unhappiness with Capello was clear for all to see that same day; when he refused to talk to him, even when they were sitting near each other in the Old Trafford directors’ box. Capello later claimed he had tried to arrange a meeting but Ferdinand had declined his offer. ‘Rio is shocked and appalled at the lack of civility and good manners being shown,’ one source close to Ferdinand told the
Daily Telegraph.
‘He cannot believe he is reading about the captaincy being taken away from him in the newspapers.’

‘I tried to meet [Rio] at the Manchester United-Marseille game,’ explained Capello, ‘but he preferred not to. I don’t know. It is a question for him, not me. I hope I will meet him to speak privately, not by phone because I think by phone is not so good.’

In August 2011, Rio was back in the Manchester United squad, ready to face neighbours and rivals Manchester City in the FA Community Shield game. Yet again, his comeback had barely started before it was halted; with United 2-0 down at half time, he was replaced by Jonny Evans. The team recovered in the second half, beating City 3-2. Rio, then, as part of the United team, could claim the fourth Community Shield medal of his career. Somewhat awkwardly, though, there were those who commented how noticeably better his team played once he was off the field. The Rio catalogue of troubles continued during the 2011/2012 season. The opening United game against West Bromwich Albion found him leaving early once again; after 75 minutes, a hamstring injury hastened his departure. Alex Ferguson confirmed that he would be out of action for six weeks.

If some insiders at Old Trafford predicted that Rio Ferdinand was showing sure signs of early retirement, the
man himself defied expectations. Within three weeks, he was back in action – for a 1-1 draw against Stoke City. But his personal life had also been in the headlines. During a three-day hearing in July 2011, the High Court heard that Rio had had ten alleged lovers. Only two months later, he was back in court, this time prompted by a
Sunday Mirror
story. He accused the tabloid of misusing private information after its interview with interior designer Carly Storey, who had revealed details of a relationship with Rio for a payment of £16,000.

The court heard how Ferdinand had previously confessed to sneaking Storey into the same hotel as both him and his fellow players. Rio’s barrister would argue this had not happened, after he had become captain.

Gavin Millar QC, representing Mirror Group Newspapers, argued the decision to run such a story was in the public interest because Ferdinand’s appointment as captain had been made on the assumption that he was reformed and responsible. It was less Ferdinand’s privacy that was being scrutinized, and more the public image that the player had constructed for himself.

Rio’s claim was dismissed. The judge ruled that the
Sunday Mirror
had a right to freedom of expression. Judge Mr Justice Nicol said: ‘In his evidence the Claimant said that Mr [Fabio] Capello had told him to be professional, not only on the pitch but “around the hotel”.’

The player was ordered to pay costs of £500,000, and was refused permission to appeal. It was a humiliating outcome for Ferdinand, not least because he had in a way fuelled the story by going to court.

Never out of the headlines for long, Rio had also waded into a row after Chelsea’s John Terry was accused of making highly offensive racist remarks towards Rio’s brother Anton,
a defender for Queens Park Rangers. Terry’s outburst, in which he called Anton a ‘f******* black c***’, had taken place on 23 October 2011 during a Premiership game between Chelsea and QPR at Loftus Road.

Both Rio and Anton had refused to shake Terry’s hand at any games involving their respective clubs, while Anton also refused to acknowledge Terry’s teammate Ashley Cole, who had given evidence in support of Terry. Such was Rio’s disgust at how the football authorities had dealt with the whole incident that he called for a ‘breakaway arm’ of the Professional Footballers’ Association for black players. The PFA’s chief executive, Gordon Taylor, instead unveiled a new action plan to combat racial discrimination in football.

The case reached Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London in July 2012 – a trial that lasted five days. Terry’s teammate Ashley Cole told the court that the accused was not racist. Meanwhile, on Twitter, Rio received a tweet accusing Cole of being a ‘choc ice’ – a term generally understood to mean ‘black on the outside, white on the inside’. Rio tweeted back: ‘I hear you fella! Choc ice is classic! hahahahahahha!!’ He followed that up with: ‘And if I want to laugh at something someone tweets.… I will! Hahahahaha! Now stop getting ya knickers in a twist!’

Rio’s endorsement of the tweet would land him in hot water. In August 2012, he was fined £45,000 by the FA for improper conduct which ‘brought the game into disrepute’. Meanwhile, via his lawyers, Cole released a statement. ‘Ashley Cole has been made aware of the discussion,’ it began, ‘following comments appearing on Twitter and wishes to make it clear that he and Rio Ferdinand are good friends and Ashley has no intention of making any sort of complaint. Ashley appreciates that tweeting is so quick it often results in off-hand and stray comments.’

The chief magistrate at the trial, Howard Riddle, announced he had no option but to acquit John Terry. Despite no shortage of television footage of the incident, there was still no way of being absolutely certain what Terry had said. Had he been convicted, his reputation and international career would have been in ruins.

As it was, the FA took a dim view of Terry’s behaviour. In September 2012, they banned him from participating in four games, and fined him £220,000 for his racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand. The following month, the Ferdinand brothers – despite remaining upset with the incident – agreed to call a truce with him and Ashley Cole, and to engage in discussions with the FA and the Professional Footballers’ Association. Meanwhile, Bruce Buck, the chairman of Chelsea FC, apologized to the Ferdinands for what had happened.

The brothers issued a statement on the matter. ‘It has been a year since the incident at Loftus Road,’ it read. ‘In that time, some of the deep divisions that exist in football have been exposed. During the coming months there will be ongoing discussions, we are sure, on finding a way forward. We intend to participate in these discussions with other current and ex-professionals of all races, from the grass roots upwards.’

It had not been Rio Ferdinand’s only drama during the summer of 2012. In May, he had felt hurt when omitted from England’s Euro 2012 squad by new manager Roy Hodgson. Rio had not played for England in nearly a year, and the decision would underline that his international career was at an end. Reaction from some quarters was one of fury, and Hodgson would find himself having to explain the vague term ‘footballing reasons’ as to why Rio had been dropped from the team. The term shrouded a number
of doubts the manager had about whether Rio, now thirty-three, could cope with the pressures of tournaments. At the Euro championships, for example, England would play at least three games in eight days, and a potential six in three weeks.

On the other hand, it was pointed out that in the previous two years, Rio had still played more games than Hodgson’s choice of captain, Steven Gerrard (Ferdinand’s junior by 18 months). But the team needed someone who was practically guaranteed to play every few days during the Euro championships. Ferdinand was, on this occasion, not the right man for the job.

There was speculation that Ferdinand’s absence from the Euro 2012 squad stemmed from his dispute with John Terry. Despite Terry’s upcoming trial, he was included in the team by Hodgson. Not even when central defender Gary Cahill was ruled out of the side was Rio recalled; instead, Martin Kelly – a 22-year-old Liverpool player – was called up as a replacement, even though he had previously played a mere two minutes of international football.

Jamie Moralee, Ferdinand’s agent, reacted by accusing Hodgson and the FA of showing a ‘total lack of respect’. He pointed out that Frank Lampard, John Terry, Gareth Barry and Steven Gerrard were all aging players, but still considered eligible for inclusion in Hodgson’s line-up. ‘Why is Rio different?’ Moralee wondered aloud. ‘To treat a player that has captained and served his country 81 times is nothing short of disgraceful.’ Rio’s own response (via Twitter) was briefer but no less vociferous. He wrote, quite simply, ‘What reasons????’

A Rio-less England made it to the quarter-finals of Euro 2012, but progressed no further. Yet this did not mark the end of the controversy. In October 2012, the
Daily Mirror 
reported that Hodgson had openly discussed the subject of Ferdinand with fellow passengers on a London tube train. He had let slip the news that Rio would not be reinstated in his next England squad, even after the retirement of John Terry. Hodgson hastily apologized, but the reality remained that – partly through age, partly through injury – Rio Ferdinand was becoming a less attractive proposition for a national football team. Coaches began to talk of him as a man with ‘diminished responsibilities’. An exasperated Ferdinand would have liked nothing more than to wrongfoot his critics with a spectacular comeback, but this was looking increasingly unlikely.

To try and combat the recurrent problems he was experiencing with his calf and hamstring muscles, Rio had had courses of acupuncture, prolotherapy injections, yoga, and endless appointments with specialists. It was to no avail – it became some achievement for him to turn out for four consecutive games at United.

Besides, there was no shortage of younger talent snapping at his heels. Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed that, with names like Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones, the competition was ferocious. There was no guarantee that even an icon like Rio Ferdinand had an automatic place in Ferguson’s United squad.