Rio Ferdinand--Five Star--The Biography (25 page)

I
t is with some justification that Rio has been regularly compared to Bobby Moore. There is something of Moore’s air of detachment in the way Rio commands the turf. He appears to be able to handle huge responsibility without crumbling under pressure. It’s obviously impossible to say what will happen to Rio in the future, but there seems little or no doubt that – providing no major injuries occur – he will be on the international stage for at least the next 10 years.

Rio catches the eye of every supporter of skilful football with hope for the future. His unflustered air, his extraordinary appreciation of positioning throughout a game. How he stepped up from youth-team football to the Premiership without any trouble. His serene, untroubled performances of the last couple of years and the way he virtually strolls around the park. These qualities also spur comparisons with players
like Franz Beckenbauer. No one who appreciates the art of football can watch Rio without purring.

His calm assurance on the ball has set him apart from other English centre-backs, and his ability to bring the ball out of defence and initiate counter-attacks led Hammers manager Harry Redknapp to brand him the next Bobby Moore in the first place. Over the past couple of years that title has proved more of a hindrance than a help as it encouraged pundits across the nation to analyse Rio’s every move in a football shirt, leading to pointed questions about his all-round game. But, typically, Rio has taken it all in his stride and will continue to improve his game at an impressive rate.

As his first-ever mentor, Dave Goodwin, explains: ‘Rio trains hard, always wants to do some more, and even now when he goes home he puts on football videos to learn. I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about him or against him.’

There ain’t no stopping him now …

Meanwhile, back in Peckham, the building that currently bears the name of the Friary Estate’s most famous resident after Rio is already daubed in graffiti. The Damilola Taylor Centre was originally seen as a symbol of hope in a ravaged inner-city ghetto. But, despite all the efforts of local people, including Rio, little has changed on one of the most dangerous housing estates in Europe.

The tell-tale signs of urban unrest are still everywhere to be seen: abandoned shop fronts protected by metal bars, perimeter walls lined with razor wire, police in stab-proof flak jackets, crack dealers plying their trade just yards from a police station, groups of hooded youths on virtually every street corner.

Less than 50 feet from the spot where Damilola bled to death, the terrible legacy of violence and intimidation has meant a line of shops have remained closed down except for Mohammed’s grocery, which still opens despite more than 20 assaults, burglaries and robberies over the past couple of years.

There are new buildings being constructed everywhere in a bid to regenerate the area, but will it work? As Camila Batmanghelidjh, who runs the Kids Company charity, which helps the troubled children in the area, explained: ‘It is not just a question of buildings. What these youngsters need is human contact and resilient people who are going to stand by them and work with them.’

On the same street corners where Damilola and Rio spent their childhoods, bored youngsters continue to congregate, sometimes menacingly. The cancer that took hold of the Friary Estate many, many years ago will take more than the murder of one brave boy and the phenomenal success of another to cure it. Rio’s adventures in the high-octane world of international football couldn’t be more of a contrast.

But at least his story gives hope to the kids and proves there is a pathway out of there.

I
owe my deepest thanks to many individuals who have helped me make this book possible. But without my son Fergus Clarkson’s skill and knowledge, it could never have been completed.

Also, my heartfelt gratitude to everyone in the warm and welcoming area of Peckham, south-east London, whose help and guidance while I was investigating Rio Ferdinand’s extraordinary rise to soccer stardom was unwavering. Top of the list is my good friend Jimmy McShane, whose knowledge of that particular ‘manor’ led me to numerous new angles and leads. Others I must thank include Rio’s old pals Leon Simms, Steve Higgott and Yung Chu, plus Bob Duffield, Mark Woodham, Terry Burnside, John Blake, Heather Cartright, Billy Goodall and Frankie Taylor.