Rio Ferdinand--Five Star--The Biography (4 page)

‘Pick your games, keep an eye on the rest, no real pressure. How many of us would say no? Come in on Saturday, sit in the boardroom, nice cup of tea, nice gin and
tonic, say, “Well, this is the way I’ll do it. Anyway, I’m off.”’

But all this just didn’t fit in with the Harry Redknapp philosophy. ‘I can’t see West Ham going for a Director of Football, though. Director of Traffic, maybe.’

The Redknapp spin on football provides a fascinating insight into the character who has probably played the biggest role in Rio’s career to date. ‘Until you sit in the manager’s chair you do not realise the pressure. A lot of people are happy being Number Two, the assistant or the coach. They look at the manager’s job and think, I can do that. Then suddenly they get there, with absolute control and the buck stopping with them. Then they understand the pressure.’

And back in 1995 Redknapp told the world: ‘We have a good team spirit here, a good squad and young players coming through who I feel can really be something. Our problem was that we seemed to stop producing homegrown talent. Now we have a group of five or six with chances and two who are outstanding. We’ve got a kid here called Rio Ferdinand and he can do a lot at the back. He can bring the call out, pass, play, read the game. He’s a great kid as well with real possibilities. Then there’s Frank Lampard junior, who we’ve loaned out to Swansea. He’s still meant to be a youth player, but he’s doing well in their first team.’

Rio even went in goal for a Capital League game against Dagenham and kept a clean sheet. He also had a starring role in the Hammers’ Youth Cup Final team in 1995. They might have lost the final, but the word on Rio was spreading fast and some were even tipping him as a squad member for the 1998 World Cup. The same youth side also won the South-East Counties’ Championship. Rio hadn’t made one first-team appearance and yet the pressure was
already mounting. He insisted his top priority was to make his mark on the West Ham team and he continued playing just behind the attack in the youth side.

In the summer of 1995 Rio’s former mentor Dave Goodwin took him on holiday with him and his family to the sunshine island of Crete. Goodwin recalled: ‘It was close to pre-season training time, so Rio got up at six o’clock every morning and went running while everyone was still in bed. Don’t get me wrong: he’s not Mr Perfect or Goody Two-Shoes. But he was single-minded about putting football before everything else.’

Back in London, while most teenagers sat at home playing video games, Rio watched even more football tapes to improve his knowledge. And because he wanted to learn more about every aspect of the game, he also continued to go to matches with Goodwin.

Then in a pre-season reserve game for West Ham against St Albans the team was hit by an injury crisis and Rio played a central defensive role. He never looked back. ‘It was put on me and I didn’t enjoy it at first, but it grew on me.’

The coaching staff quickly realised they had not only an extremely talented ball player but one who was able to defend as well. Rio’s career was about to switch direction in a very dramatic fashion.

On 1 August 1995 Rio signed his first playing contract with West Ham on the Upton Park pitch in front of a crowd of 25,000 waiting for the kick-off of the first Premiership game of the season. Janice was there to see the proud moment, and says: ‘It was really emotional. I thought back to all those times we had been shopping for football boots.’

Rio signed with West Ham under their Youth Training
Scheme. As part of the £35-a-week deal, he had to attend Kingsway College, in central London, on a part-time basis to do a course in Sports Science. Once he’d successfully completed the YTS, he would sign a professional contract with the Hammers when he turned 17 in November that year.

Harry Redknapp wasn’t shy about singing young Rio’s praises. ‘I think he’s got real possibilities to become a good player and I’m delighted he’s signed.’ He was convinced that Rio would soon make it into the first team, and what particularly impressed him was the youngster’s pace and balance on the ball.

Dave Goodwin sat in on Rio’s full contract negotiations later that year when he signed a five-year professional deal with West Ham for £450 a week. He proudly explained: ‘Rio’s friends and his teammates have always looked after him. When the side broke up that was when some of them got into trouble. But Rio was always well protected.’ Now the young player was reaping the rewards.

The 1995–6 season turned into a learning experience for Rio as he played regularly for the West Ham reserves and began to adjust to the faster pace and strength required for the adult game. At six feet two inches he was commanding in the air and strong on the ground.

Some of the backroom staff were soon urging Redknapp to try Rio out, but he resisted the temptation for most of that season – until yet another injury crisis forced his hand.

R
io’s first Premiership chance came as a substitute in the final game of the 1995–6 season, a 1–1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday. It was an occasion he would never forget. ‘My first touch – the ball came over to me and bounced near the touchline. I just smashed it up to row Z of the stands and the crowd started cheering and laughing.’

Nobody, including Rio, remembers much more about his first-ever senior appearance for the Hammers. But within days of that first outing with the big boys, Rio noticed reports in the national press suggesting that other Premiership sides were already interested in signing him. It was very distracting at first because his only aim had been to get into the first team and then consolidate his place.

Then he was called up for the England U-21 squad along with teammate Frank Lampard junior. The buzz on the
football grapevine was that Rio was definitely one to watch. But it was clear he was going to have a tough time trying to break into the West Ham first team, which at that time featured 11 different nationalities. Redknapp’s preferred back two central defenders were Croatian Slaven Bilic and Dane Marc Rieper.

Rio thought the letter that arrived at his home in May 1996 had been addressed to him by mistake. It was an itinerary for the full England squad’s Euro ’96 campaign. ‘I’d only played one game for West Ham. I looked at the letter again and it was me they wanted. I ran round the house screaming my head off. I was making so much noise my mum came charging after me saying, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”’

England boss Terry Venables had been determined to invite Rio to join the Euro ’96 squad that summer. For three weeks Rio lived with the squad, trained with the team and stayed in their hotel, absorbing tips from England’s finest. ‘Nervous? You bet,’ he later recalled. ‘Have I got the ability? Or will I look out of place? And do you know what? As soon as I got out there and had my first touch it seemed perfectly normal.’

Rumour even had it that Rio marked Alan Shearer out of the practice games, although he was sensible enough to play it all down when questioned. ‘He didn’t really do much but it wasn’t a full-blooded match. He probably could have pulled something out if it was a proper game.’

England got to the semi-finals of Euro ’96 and only lost on penalties to Germany. Rio thoroughly enjoyed his taste of the good life and promised himself he’d be back in the squad proper in the not too distant future. Few disagreed with him.

By August 1996 Rio and Frank Lampard junior were both pressing hard for Premiership places in the West Ham team. Harry Redknapp was facing constant injury problems and must have been tempted to blood his two young starlets sooner rather than later. The absence of centre-half Richard Hall – West Ham’s close-season signing from Southampton – looked set to open the door for Rio. Lampard was being lined up for his first-ever first-team start because of injuries to John Moncur and Ian Bishop. In the end neither made the starting line-ups for Premiership matches, but Redknapp was confident enough to use them both as regular substitutes over the following few months.

Frank Lampard junior came from the sort of footballing pedigree that meant he was never likely to lack skill. He was eventually to captain an England U-21 side which included Rio, Joe Cole and Michael Carrick, all from the Hammers. Lampard’s and Rio’s careers followed many similar paths. They both debuted in 1996 for the first team in that same game against Sheffield Wednesday on the last day of the season. Lampard also captained the West Ham youth team that reached the FA Youth Cup Final.

But Rio was soon getting very frustrated about not starting any matches for the West Ham senior team. ‘Harry maybe thought I was a bit too young and a bit too eager at that stage. I was desperate to get in the first team. I let it get on top of me, thinking about it too much.’

Rio adored the feeling of a big crowd and in the reserves there were never more than a handful of anoraks on duty. He still says: ‘That’s what I thrive on – hearing the crowd cheering your moves, pushing you on. The fact that people have paid to watch you makes you rise to the occasion.’

Eventually Harry Redknapp – aware of Rio’s unhappiness – shipped him down to Bournemouth, the south coast
Third Division club where he’d once been manager. It turned out to be an inspired move which provided Rio with some essential first-team practice. He also got on extremely well with Bournemouth’s veteran manager, Mel Machin.

Rio put in some wonderful performances on the pitch but spending his nights in a £31-a-night hotel on half board was a miserable, lonely existence for a lively young Londoner. He was restless and homesick and even had to take his kit home after training every day and wash it. ‘I would sometimes go back to my room at Bournemouth and just sit and watch television in the afternoon. It made me appreciate West Ham and everything about the club. Did me good in other ways too because I learned to face up to all kinds of players.’

And, as this table shows, Bournemouth remained unbeaten when Rio played for them and Mel Machin was soon raving about Rio down the phone to his old pal Redknapp:

Machin christened Rio ‘class’ – literally. ‘I was walking behind him as we went out for training one day and I said, “Hey, Class!” And Rio immediately turned round. He knew who I meant.’ The Bournemouth manager added: ‘Rio has
got so much natural ability and is so quick that he could play anywhere. He went up front at times for us, but his best position is at the back.’

Rio was just going into his third month with Bournemouth when he was recalled by Harry Redknapp because West Ham had injuries. Machin told his old pal Redknapp: ‘Don’t be frightened to stick him straight into the Premier League. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how well he’ll cope.’ He also told him that Man United boss Alex Ferguson had been on the telephone asking if he could buy Rio. ‘I told Alex he wasn’t mine to sell,’ he informed the Hammers’ manager.

‘I’ll expect a call from him, then,’ replied the wily old fox Redknapp, who knew that West Ham were always open to offers for their players if the price was right.

So Redknapp hauled Rio back from Dorset at the end of January and plunged him straight into the sort of first-team action he’d been dreaming about for years. First up was the Hammers’ tricky third-round FA Cup replay against Wrexham, earmarked as an opportunity to try out youngsters Rio and his close pal Lampard. There was even talk that Rio might be playing up front because of injuries to three Upton Park strikers.

In the end Rio made his first full start for West Ham as a defender in that game against Wrexham on 25 January 1997. It was certainly a baptism of fire and although Rio bedded well into the West Ham team, the result was a sickening 1–0 defeat. However, he had done well enough to be picked for the Hammers’ next game. Redknapp had decided to give Rio a proper try-out in the team to find out if Machin was right.

Rio scored his first goal for West Ham at Blackburn the week after the FA Cup tie at Wrexham. He was – as the old
cliché goes – literally over the moon. That night he travelled back down south in the Hammers’ coach and went straight round to Dave Goodwin’s home. Kate Goodwin takes up the story: ‘There was a knock on the door at 11.30 pm and it was Rio, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He said, “Please tell me you videoed the goal.” Then he ran upstairs, put the video on and kept rewinding it, doing a running commentary, saying, “And he goes up and he shimmies around the ball, and it’s a goal!” for about an hour.’

Just a few days after Rio’s sterling performance against Blackburn, Alex Ferguson called Harry Redknapp and asked if Rio was for sale. The response was sharp and to the point: ‘Sure, if we can have David Beckham.’ But that call by Ferguson was very flattering to West Ham, making them feel they were sitting on a goldmine.

After one home game for West Ham, Dave Goodwin met up with Rio. ‘I said to him, Do you fancy a drink, Rio?’ He said, “Yeah, in the Boleyn” – the pub next to Upton Park. I think he wanted to buy one for all the fans. They’re would have been chaos if he’d gone in. So I had to take him to a McDonald’s instead.’

Behind this story lies the key to what drove Rio onwards and upwards. He loved the attention and the adoration of the fans. It was as important to him as any other aspect of the game. Without a crowd he found it very difficult to motivate himself. Rio the people-pleaser, who’d avoided injury as a kid in the ghetto by cracking a joke and playing up to the crowd, now had the ultimate audience.

Harry Redknapp tried to cool the hype surrounding his brilliant young defender by saying: ‘We’ll start talking about him playing for England after he’s had 50 or 60 good games. I’m hoping he’ll stay level-headed.’

And Rio knew it was early days. It was essential to keep
learning his craft and he knew he was lucky to have an experienced bunch of other defenders around him at West Ham. Slaven Bilic proved Rio’s greatest teacher during that early period at West Ham. ‘Slaven played for Croatia in World Cup qualifiers and in the European Championships and played all over Europe. He was the bee’s knees in my book.’

It came as a ‘mighty blow’ to Rio when Bilic signed for Everton at the end of the 1996–7 season for £4.5 million. ‘He had given me so much encouragement and confidence both on and off the pitch.’

Another Hammers player who bonded with Rio was Australian youth international Chris Coyne. The youngster had moved halfway round the world to Upton Park when he was still only 16, and he needed all the friends he could get. Coyne had his brother Jamie and fellow Aussie Richard Garcia for company at West Ham when he signed a four-and-a-half-year trainee contract. He linked up with Rio in the Hammers’ youth teams alongside Frank Lampard. ‘Rio was phenomenal – a great athlete, great on the ball and he was head and shoulders above everyone else. He was a great player,’ was Coyne’s verdict.

But there was one downside to playing for big crowds – the ugly spectre of racist fans. Rio heard one man in the West Ham crowd shouting ‘black this and black that’ at the players. He glanced across at a policeman to see if he would do anything, but he was appalled when the PC completely ignored the bigoted ‘fan’. Later Rio left the pitch in disgust, although he knew the abuse had been much worse a few years earlier. ‘As a player you get a certain amount of racism from crowds here and there, but it is not as apparent now as it was before. When players like John Barnes, Ian
Wright and Viv Anderson were playing it was a lot worse.’

Back in Peckham, Rio suffered from another form of racism when he found himself being stopped after splashing out £20,000 on a brand-new BMW convertible. ‘I wasn’t really known as a footballer at the time and they’d ask me, “Where’d you get the money for this? Are you dealing? Are you nicking stuff?” I’d then answer, “I earned this car. I wouldn’t drive it if I didn’t earn it.”’ It wasn’t until he was properly established in the Hammers’ first team that the stopping and searching by police slowed down.

On the pitch, Rio taught himself to be stronger and to go in harder on any opposition players who ever tried to make an issue of his colour. ‘Not verbally – I let the football do the talking and embarrass them. I’m not the type of person to confront people but I will try to win the game so I can look them in the eye.’

By this time Rio had settled in so well at West Ham that even the kit man and dinner ladies at the club became his friends. Rio had time for all of them. ‘I appreciated everything that West Ham were doing for me. And it wasn’t just the coaches who were blinding.’

Harry Redknapp believed he’d finally cracked the difficult transfer market which had nearly finished him off the previous year. Up until then he’d been more famous for buying a succession of dodgy foreigners than developing new, raw young talent like Rio, Lampard and Cole. He wanted desperately to bring the glory days back to Upton Park. ‘I’ve made some good buys in my time and some crap ones,’ he said with typical honesty. ‘But my aim now is to get good, young lads who will work hard, look after tz

Pearce had just been signed for £2.3 million from
Blackburn and went straight into the Hammers’ side alongside Rio, then aged 18, and 23-year-old David Unsworth in the heart of defence. He replaced Marc Rieper, who left Upton Park for Celtic for £1.4 million. Pearce, from Surrey, was a West Ham fan as a boy and had joined Blackburn from Chelsea three years earlier for £300,000. Redknapp described Pearce as ‘big, strong and quick’. With a rock-solid defence, he was now on the lookout for a back-up striker to join John Hartson and Paul Kitson.

Soon, even Rio’s distant cousin Les joined the chorus of praise for the young Hammers defender. He admitted struggling against Rio during Newcastle’s home clash against West Ham towards the end of the 1996–7 season. ‘I struggled against Rio, but it’s not surprising because he’s one of the best defenders around at the moment. He’s cool, he doesn’t get upset by the physical stuff and I can see why everybody says Glenn Hoddle is already an admirer. I think he’s ready for England.’

Towards the tail end of the season Rio even showed his loyalty to West Ham by signing a new greatly improved five-year contract worth approximately £4,000 a week. The future was looking bright. But there might be a few hiccups along the way.