Rio Ferdinand believes he played a minor role in shaping the trend of ball-playing centre-backs that has become the norm in the Premier League.
Ferdinand has been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame, becoming the 17th player to achieve the highest honour of the competition. The former Manchester United centre-back has been honoured after a public vote saw him picked out of a 15-man shortlist.
He is the first player in 2023 to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, with two more set to be announced later on Wednesday. The 44-year-old has been given a medallion with his name engraved onto it and the Premier League will make a £10,000 donation to a charity of his choice.
Ferdinand made 504 appearances in the Premier League over 20 seasons for West Ham, Leeds, Manchester United and QPR. He kept 189 clean sheets and won six Premier League titles with United and was named in the PFA Team of the Year on six occasions.
The England international was known for his positional intelligence and for being comfortable in possession – attributes that would have made him at home in the current game. Asked to sum up his legacy, he said: “The only thing I can think of, without patting myself on the back too much, would be the way I played my position which was probably something that set me apart.
“At that time, a centre-half who’s comfortable running out with the ball and taking the ball under pressure, wasn’t really what the position’s identity was about but that was my identity.
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“You look at the players now, that’s a massive part of the way young centre-backs play because those are the demands put on players. I’d love to have played today.”
After coming through the West Ham academy, Ferdinand made his Premier League debut as a 17-year-old for Harry Redknapp’s side in 1996. He moved onto Leeds two years later, with the club spending a British transfer record of £18million to sign him. After two years at Elland Road, he was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson for United, where he made his name between 2002 and 2014.
Ferdinand follows Ferguson and Arsene Wenger in being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023. He joins an elite club, with eight players having been named since the idea was launched in 2021.
He becomes the seventh former United player to make the cut, following in the footsteps of David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, Peter Schmeichel and Wayne Rooney. The others are: Thierry Henry, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Alan Shearer, Sergio Aguero, Didier Drogba, Vincent Kompany, Patrick Vieira, Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp.
“As a defender, I'm not used to celebrating personal glory – we leave that to the midfielders and strikers,” Ferdinand said.
“It’s a great feeling to be recognised by my peers as well as the fans. To be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame alongside such a high calibre of players and to be able to say that I achieved my dream is special. The Premier League is the holy grail, and I just can’t believe I made it.”
