Rio Ferdinand, a professional footballer, was born on November 7, 1978 in Peckham, London. He has two sons, Lorenz and Tate; and lives in Tatton, Altrincham, England. Anton Ferdinand, his younger brother, plays as a defender for the Sunderland Association Football Club. His cousin, Les Ferdinand, a former football player, was a striker for the England national squad.
On November 15, 1997, Rio Ferdinand made his international debut as a substitute in a friendly match against Cameroon. He represented the England squad for the 2002 and 2006 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup tournaments. He played ten World Cup matches (2002, 2006) for the England national football team and has performed well to have kept seven clean sheets. Rio Ferdinand scored his first international goal against Denmark in the second round of the 2002 World Cup and his second goal came against Russia in the Euro 2008 qualifier on September 12, 2007. He captained the national team in a friendly match against France on March 25, 2008. Having earned 70 international caps, Rio Ferdinand has been named the vice captain of the national team in its qualifying matches of the 2010 World Cup.
Beginning his youth club career as a striker with Queens Park Rangers in 1990, Rio Ferdinand signed for the West Ham United FC in 1992 and became a professional defender in the youth team. Owing to his outstanding performances, he was moved to the first team of the West Ham United club and made his senior debut in a 1-1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday club on May 5, 1996. For his remarkable performances during the 1997-98 season, Rio Ferdinand won the Hammer of the Year award. While being a part of the Hammers, he went on a brief loan period to the Athletic Football Club Bournemouth in 1996 and played 10 matches. Netting 2 goals in 127 appearances for the Hammers between 1995 and 2000, he moved to the Leeds United Association Football Club (AFC) in November 2000.
In August 2001, Rio Ferdinand was made the captain of the Whites and had scored 2 goals in 54 matches he played for the team. For his commendable performances with the Leeds United FC, he was named in the Paper Football Association (PFA) Premier League Team of the Year, 2001-02. Rio Ferdinand joined the Manchester United Football Club on a 5-year contract on July 22, 2002; the fee was more than £30 million, making him the most expensive defender in the British football history. By scoring his first goal for the Red Devils, Rio Ferdinand helped his team win 4-0 against Wigan Athletic on December 14, 2005. His most important goal for Manchester United came at the last minute in a match played against Liverpool at Old Trafford. Being a consistent player, he was responsible for the Red Devils to bag the Football Association (FA) Community Shield in 2003, 2007 and 2008. Rio Ferdinand played a significant part, when his team won the Barclays Premier League in 2002-03, 2006-07 and 2007-08. With the talented defender in the squad, the Red Devils became the runner-up of FA Cup in 2005 and 2007; the runner-up of Carling Cup in 2003 but took away the Carling Cup in 2006.
Rio Ferdinand scored his first European goal for the Red Devils in its 4-2 win against Dynamo Kyiv club in the 2007-08 season. He captained the team, which won the Champions League final match against Chelsea on May 21, 2008. His good performances helped Manchester United to win the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League (2007-08). Playing with the Red Devils, Rio Ferdinand won the PFA Premier League Team of the Year in 2004-05; and for 2 consecutive seasons, 2006-08. He has signed a new 5-year contract in May 2008, which will keep him with the Red Devils until 2013.
