RIO FERDINAND

Personal Stats
DOB: 8th November 1978
Birthplace: Peckham, London
Height: 6'2"


Profile
One of the longest running transfer sagas in history ended in November 2000 when West Ham finally accepted Leeds' £18million bid for Ferdinand and he agreed to the move, smashing the British transfer record and the world record fee for a defender in the process as Rio signed a five and a half year contract.
Earmarked as the future of the England back line for years to come, United boss David O'Leary's chase finally ended and in the process put United amongst the big spenders of Europe
An established England international, Rio grew from strength to strength under the guidance of Hammers boss Harry Redknapp.
A complete player, Rio had long been the subject of press speculation regarding his future with European giants including Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich closely following the elegant defender's progress.
But it was Leeds who got their man, as Ferdinand became another bright young star in the O'Leary stable.
Even before being called up to the England squad for the first time in September 1997 , Rio was being hailed as a certain international for the next decade.
The Peckham born defender,who signed schoolboy forms in 1994,was a vital member of the record breaking South-East counties championship team of 1996, when he also picked up an F.A Youth cup runners up medal, after defeat in the final against a Liverpool side that included Michael Owen, potentially an England team-mate for many years to come.
He began his breakthrough in to the first team in the 1996/97 season and by the end of that season,was already one of the first names on Harry Redknapp's team sheet.
Ferdinand continued his progress over the next few seasons, although the 1999/00 campaign proved a disappointment on a personal level.
His club form failed to scale the heights of previous seasons, but the biggest let-down was his omission from Kevin Keegan's Euro 2000 squad as he became one of the six unlucky names who failed to make the cut for the final 22-man travelling party.
Now back in the England frame under caretaker coach Peter Taylor, Ferdinand will hope his move to United and a chance to play in the Champions League will put him firmly in the running for Sven Goran Eriksson when he takes over in the summer.

Career Stats:

Squad No. 29

Position: Defence

Date Signed: 26th November 2000

Signed from: West Ham

Transfer fee: £18M

International Honours: England Full, U-21

Previous Clubs: West Ham - 119 /25 goals