Rio Ferdinand--Five Star--The Biography (15 page)

In Japan, Rio was more concerned with publicly defending his one-time West Ham teammate Trevor Sinclair, who’d been criticised for going home after he was released
from the squad when a first-choice team member recovered from injury. Rio said: ‘There’s no question in Trevor’s mind that he will come back if required. I spoke to him the night before he left. It’s a joke that people have made so much out of it. His wife is six months pregnant and everyone else would have done the same thing.’

Amid all the speculation linking him with Man United, Rio refused to comment any further. Back in London it was rumoured that the club were about to up their offer to £25 million. With five days to go until the start of the World Cup, it was then reported that they had put £30 million on the table. Throughout the world of football there was astonishment. Was any defender really worth that sort of money? And had Leeds decided that if they could virtually double what they’d paid for Rio just 18 months earlier then the deal would be green-lighted despite the damage it might do to their future?

Rio – with four years on his contract still remaining – was understood to have a quick-release clause, although it was not activated for another year. In the middle of all this was a deeply unhappy David O’Leary, well aware that his most talented player could be about to leave the club.

In the Far East, some were saying that Rio had misgivings about the turbulent times he’d experienced at Leeds the previous season. One member of the England party explained: ‘Rio isn’t too happy about some of the things that have happened at the club over the previous few months, but he’s a loyal fellow so there’s no way he’d air those feelings in public. And he insists he’s staying put at Leeds.’

On 30 May Leeds and Man United took the unusual step of issuing a joint statement to refute stories that Rio was on
his way to Old Trafford. Both clubs were angry about claims that the 23-year-old player had been sent a copy of a proposed contract for a seven-year deal worth £60,000 a week and rising to £110,000. Leeds were also upset about a claim that they still owed West Ham millions of pounds from when Rio moved up north.

The joint statement between the two clubs read: ‘No deal has been struck between the clubs and contrary to the story … Manchester United wish to point out that they have not made an illegal approach by forwarding a contract to Rio Ferdinand in Japan or a list of houses in Cheshire for his perusal … Leeds United are taking legal advice regarding the totally false allegation that £4 million remains outstanding from Rio Ferdinand’s transfer from West Ham. Leeds paid West Ham £12 million on signing the player and the balance of the fee was paid in full … on the first anniversary of Rio’s recruitment, last November.’

But would both clubs keep their agreed truce so that Rio could get on with the business of helping England win the World Cup?

I
n football they say that Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson always gets his man in the end. So the charm offensive that the club put into action after the England squad arrived in the Far East for the 2002 World Cup was no surprise. David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Wes Brown all urged Rio to join them in the quest for more trophies the following season. As the squad carried out their final preparations on the Korean island of Jeju, Rio talked to family, close friends and associates back in London, including his powerful agent Pini Zahavi, who’d been on first-name terms with Alex Ferguson for years. Man United would stalk their man until they could pounce at the perfect moment. The denouement might not have been as cold and calculated as they had hoped, but the end result was all that mattered.

The World Cup tournament they’d all been waiting for
had finally arrived. Unlike at club level, there was no way the superpowers of soccer could buy their way to success. This was all about skill, training, technique and spirit. And Rio had bucketloads of all of these. Fan trouble was feared, but in the event it never materialised. In fact, scenes of English fans singing along with the Japanese would become a feature of the tournament that brought tears of joy and misery to the eyes of the watching millions back in England. The World Cup draw hadn’t exactly been kind to England as they were in the co-called ‘group of death’ with arch-enemies Argentina, plus Sweden and Nigeria.

In the middle of all this, Rio heard rumours from London about Juventus planning to make an eleventh-hour bid for him. But that was completely overshadowed when David O’Leary suddenly quit Leeds. Many believed his decision had been caused by the club’s refusal to guarantee the manager that they wouldn’t sell Rio. However, the day after O’Leary’s departure, Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale still insisted that Rio was not for sale.

O’Leary had been under severe pressure for at least six months because in the 2001–2 season Leeds had yet again failed to win anything. Injuries and repeated indiscipline among some key members of the team had not helped his position, either. So it wasn’t considered such a big surprise when the Leeds board, tired of O’Leary’s constant round of excuses for under-achievement, finally lost their patience. Many believed that he had been earmarked for the chop much earlier that year when extracts from his book appeared in a tabloid newspaper within 48 hours of the end of Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate’s second lengthy trial at Hull Crown Court. Appearing to profit from such a nasty episode did O’Leary’s reputation no good.

One insider at the club told the
Observer
: ‘The directors
thought he was bringing embarrassment to the club.’ Others cited Leeds’ 1–0 defeat by Fulham on 20 April because it killed off any hopes of the club qualifying for the Champions League. ‘That’s when they made their mind up. They watched the game and said, “God this is rubbish.” Leeds had played boring defensive football. It vindicated concerns that some of the players had expressed that the tactics were too defensive,’ added the inside source.

But the last straw for the Leeds board came when O’Leary used his weekly column in the
Sunday People
to warn that if Rio’s widely expected transfer to Man United went ahead then he could hardly be expected to get Leeds into the Champions League.

With only a few days to go to England’s first group match against Sweden, news reached Japan that Scandinavian stars Freddie Ljungberg and Olof Mellberg had been involved in a nasty punch-up during training. That really cheered Rio up because it was a perfect diversion from the transfer talk back home and the fallout from O’Leary’s departure. He gleefully told one journalist: ‘We think what’s happened with these Swedes is blinding. It’s unfortunate for them that it got out. But you can look at it another way. It either means it will have a damaging effect on their squad or that they are hyped up for the tournament.’

Rio’s first-ever game in the World Cup Finals on 2 June proved a bitter disappointment for England, who were extremely lucky to escape with a 1–1 draw. They started well against Sweden, but in the second half were ripped apart by a well-organised side. Rio’s biggest contribution came when he put a header over the bar from a David Beckham corner in the thirty-seventh minute. He also
unintentionally unsighted keeper David Seaman when Andersson scored the equaliser for Sweden at fifty-eight minutes. But after the game most pundits agreed that Rio looked solid at the back.

In south-east London, Janice and her husband Peter, along with Sian, nine, Anton, now 17, and Jeremiah, three, screamed at the telly as they watched Rio turn out against Sweden. ‘It was amazing,’ Janice later recalled. ‘I got goosebumps on goosebumps – you know when you feel like you are there and you get bellyache. I just had this overwhelming feeling of being so proud – you just smile until you can’t smile any more.’

Everyone in the household was shouting and jumping up and down as the match progressed. ‘For me to watch my son walking out for England in the World Cup was more than I could ever have imagined. It was my most exciting time, the feeling that came over me was incredible.’

Immediately after the 1–1 draw, Janice’s phone rang and an excited Rio came on the line. ‘It was brilliant, Mum. I’m trying to savour every moment.’

Then little brother Jeremiah grabbed the phone and started telling Rio: ‘It was you, Rio. It was you on the telly.’

Janice then told Rio just how proud the people of Peckham would be. ‘Well done, son.’

‘Thanks, Mum.’

The next World Cup game – against Argentina – was hyped to the hilt with all the usual emotional baggage of the 1982 Falklands War plus Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal that helped knock England out of the 1986 World Cup and David Beckham’s infamous red card in Argentina’s penalty-shootout victory at France ’98. The Argentinians had gone into the match as favourites, and
were further strengthened by the fall of the holders, France, who lost the tournament’s opening game against Senegal.

A draw would be creditable, but a victory would probably secure England’s passage into the next round as group winners. That would mean avoiding France and gave a clearer route towards the semi-finals. The pressure was on. The English team wanted to emulate the heroics of the 1966 World Cup Final triumph over West Germany at Wembley. Bobby Robson’s Gascoigne-inspired 1990 side came closest, losing an agonising semi-final penalty shootout against Germany at Italia ’90. The sense of anticipation surrounding Eriksson’s current squad was reminiscent of that which accompanied Robson’s 1990 side.

The dream win came true for Rio with a 1–0 victory over Argentina. England were suddenly hailed as potential winners of the World Cup. A Beckham penalty late in the first half was enough to do it. Rio and defensive partner Sol Campbell performed superbly. Argentina had more possession, but England created more chances. Rio’s only slip of the game enabled Pochettino to get in a free header but Seaman blocked it brilliantly on the line.

Rio’s reading of the game against Argentina was so good that he undoubtedly played a vital role in preventing them from scoring for the first time in 21 internationals. Rio’s Leeds and England teammate Danny Mills hailed him as ‘one of the true greats of football’ after his awesome performance against Argentina. Neither Gabriel Batistuta or his replacement, Hernan Crespo, was able to produce a single worthwhile on-target shot between them.

Mills said after the game: ‘We have always known that Rio Ferdinand is a great player. I believe he can go all the way and become one of the true greats. This is a fantastic
stage for him to show what he can do. Hopefully, we can progress in this tournament and he will have an even greater opportunity to prove what a great player he is. Rio and Sol at the back were winning everything against Argentina. Every time the ball came into the box, they were heading it away. They were awesome – and long may it continue because we will need them playing like that in every game.’

Rio made a point of dedicating the victory against Argentina to the fans but, typically, he then stressed the importance of keeping a lid on the hype and expectation levels with a point still needed against Nigeria in Osaka on the following Wednesday to guarantee a place in the second phase.

He said: ‘That result was a big thank-you to all the England fans who have stood by us. It was for them and the supporters back home who watched the game on television. They deserve it. We are very proud of what we achieved, but we know there is still a lot more to do and I just hope that people do not start building up the expectations too high. There is a long way to go but it was an extra-important victory and I am delighted we are getting better and better with each performance.’

The Argentinians were so upset they hadn’t even wanted to swap shirts after the game …

Rio had paid for his mum and his brothers and sister to fly out to Japan for England’s ‘group of death’ clash with Argentina, and there Janice met up with Rio’s dad, Julian. She recalled: ‘We must have looked quite a sight. All of us were sitting in a line in the stadium wearing England shirts. We were just like any other supporters, except our kit had “Rio” written on it. Sian had her face painted red and white
and she was draped in an England flag bibbing a horn. Every time he got the ball, we’d all shout, “Re-Oh! Re-Oh!”’

Janice went on: ‘When Beckham lined up to take that penalty everyone was holding their breath. All the people had stopped cheering, all the babies had stopped crying. And as he went forward a million flashlights lit up the stadium. I could have done a somersault.’

Rio was hailed as England’s best player during the 0–0 draw with Nigeria. He showed great authority and on at least two occasions intercepted Nigerian attackers with superb skill and tenacity. Both teams were exhausted by the early-afternoon heat. Man of the match Rio told a packed press conference afterwards: ‘We came here to get out of the group and now we have done it we want to go as far as possible.’

When she was back in London, Janice got a call from Rio saying that following his fantastic performance against Nigeria more big clubs were rumoured to be interested in him. She told him to put it all out of his mind until he got back to England after the World Cup. Janice was so proud of her son: ‘It’s every parent’s hope in life for their children to have a fantastic life – and Rio’s got that because he’s worked hard for it. But he could still come home from the World Cup, go back to Peckham and be the same Rio.’

The newspapers in England had a field day about the clubs allegedly lining up to try and buy Rio. They dubbed him ‘the world’s most wanted defender’. Rio assured Sven-Goran Eriksson he wouldn’t allow all the speculation to affect his performances in an England shirt.

Rio fully appreciated how much expectation rested on his shoulders with the 10,000 fans who’d travelled to Japan to follow England. He’d also heard through calls to his
friends back in south London that everyone was rooting for the team. ‘We have to put a smile on everyone’s faces and want to keep it there,’ he told a packed press conference just before the second-round clash with Denmark. ‘We’ve been watching the scenes in places like Trafalgar Square on the BBC and I can tell you it brings you out in goose pimples. The atmosphere there must be incredible and we don’t want to let anyone down.’

And even more proof of Rio’s importance to the team came when it was revealed that he would be one of England’s five nominated penalty takers – an immense vote of faith considering he hadn’t taken one in a competitive match in his entire career! Rio had been on the bench in 1998 when England’s second-round clash with Argentina went to penalties and David Batty – now with Leeds – missed his penalty, which cost them the match. ‘I felt for Batts when he missed but he was able to deal with it and it didn’t affect his life.’ Rio was super-confident he could deal with the same sort of pressures, and no one disagreed with him.

Rio and his England pals cruised into the World Cup quarter-finals with an emphatic 3–0 victory over Denmark and Rio scored the opening goal, thanks to a fumble by keeper Thomas Sorenson. (FIFA later ruled that the goal was Rio’s, not Sorenson’s.)

Rio’s header from David Beckham’s corner was off target, but Sorenson knocked the ball off his own chest and over the line. It was the perfect start for England, and a nightmare for Denmark, who even while singing their national anthem had looked nervous. After the match, Rio admitted it was a lucky scramble that led to his goal. ‘My first thought was, What a rubbish header. I should have
headed it in with the ’keeper touching it. Fortunately, it went in off him and there’s no better feeling than scoring your first goal for England.’

Goals by Liverpool’s Emile Heskey and Michael Owen sealed the victory, although Rio did make one minor slip which let Danish striker Ebbe Sand through on the right just before half-time. However, Rio recovered and was also helped out by good old dependable Sol Campbell. Now the scene was set for a mouth-watering quarter-final clash with Brazil.

After the game Rio even kept hold of his beloved England shirt despite the fact that everyone else swapped theirs with the Danes. ‘No way was I going to lose my shirt from a match where I scored,’ he later explained.

Sven-Goran Eriksson’s assistant, Tord Grip, rated Rio one of the team’s star performers. ‘If you want to know why the defence is so strong, you need only look at Rio. He wins the ball just like Bobby Moore. His timing is perfect, so clean. And he is good on the ball.’

Back in Manchester, officials at Old Trafford were rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of Rio wearing a red shirt for the opening Premiership game of the season if they could thrash out a deal with Leeds.

Rio’s favourite team after England was Brazil, so to have the South Americans as quarter-final opponents was a dream come true. ‘Everyone knows how much I love Brazil and meeting them will be wicked. Ronaldo looks back to his best and I love to see a player like that doing well. When he is fit there is no one better in the world.’