As a journalist, you dream of interviewing the biggest names in English football.
There’s no doubting Rio Ferdinand falls into that category. The Manchester United legend won plenty of trophies during his glittering playing career – including six Premier League titles and the Champions League – and was capped 81 times by England at senior level.
Last week, I got the chance to ask Ferdinand some questions thanks to BT Sport... but it wasn't any old interview. I asked the ex-defender 10 yes or no questions while he was strapped to a lie detector. At last, it was an opportunity to see what he really thought.
It was a surreal experience, to say the least. The interview took place at a venue in Waterloo. As I arrived, I found a small table with a polygraph in the middle. There were three chairs - one for me, one for Ferdinand and one for the detector’s technician.
"Is this what they use on Jeremy Kyle?" joked Ferdinand as he was hooked up to the machine. "It feels like pressure just putting it on." I wasn’t envious. Soon it was time for me to quiz the pundit. "Will Man Utd win a trophy this season?" I asked.
After all, it’s the question on everyone’s lips. The Red Devils are under new management following the appointment of Erik ten Hag and have showed some promising signs in pre-season, recording a 4-0 win against Liverpool. They haven't won a trophy since their Europa League success five years ago and fans are desperate for their wait to end.
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"Yes," came the reply. At that point, Ferdinand was left anxiously waiting to find out if he'd told the truth. To the relief of United fans, he passed the question.
"Will Arsenal break into the top four?" came the next probe, followed by a "no". Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League last term and, frustratingly for Mikel Arteta, Ferdinand was telling the truth.
"Will Thomas Tuchel still be in charge of Chelsea come May?" was my next query. "Yes," replied Ferdinand. He was telling the truth. What about Newcastle ’s chances of qualifying for Europe? "No," said the ex-international. Again, he was telling the truth.
At this point, I was beginning to wonder if Ferdinand was going to be caught out by the machine. I decided to ask something he wasn't expecting. "Will Southampton lose 9-0 again this season?" They famously lost by that margin to Leicester in October 2019 and repeated the feat against Man Utd in February 2021. Sorry for reminding you, Saints fans.
"No," came the answer. Ralph Hasenhuttl might want to look away now... because Ferdinand failed the question.
Next up was a probe on Pep Guardiola's side. "Will Manchester City regret selling Raheem Sterling to Chelsea?" I asked. "Yes," replied Ferdinand. He was telling the truth.
I then queried whether Liverpool were still title contenders. The Reds sold Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich earlier this summer, replacing him with Uruguay international Darwin Nunez. "Yes... unfortunately," said Ferdinand. Again, he was telling the truth.
Ferdinand later claimed Arsenal wouldn't finish above Tottenham and Leeds would stay up. They were both honest answers, according to the polygraph. I had one final question before the football legend could escape the interrogation, but he didn't enjoy it.
"Will Erik ten Hag bring the glory days back to Man Utd?" I asked. Ferdinand smiled, thought about it and replied: "Yes." The technician shook his head and said the word Ferdinand was dreading: "Fail."
"Oh no, oh no," laughed the Old Trafford icon. "I hope he does, I'm hopeful. I really hope so."
Having passed eight questions, Ferdinand could be pleased with his efforts. All that was left to do was to get his feedback. "It was all fine, other than the Man Utd questions – that’s when I started panicking," he admitted.
"I want them to do well, but when you say to me: 'Can they win trophies and that?' I'm just hopeful. But I wasn’t lying when I said they were going to win something this year, so hopefully [they do]. Erik, please win something!"
Ferdinand later admitted he didn’t want to do another lie detector test. In fairness, I don’t think many ex-footballers would. It was the definition of a once in a lifetime opportunity.
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