Subsequent to that October weekend, Ferdinand’s 2013 departure from Old Trafford appeared inevitable. Five months later and talk is of the centre-back matching the longevity of current United legends, 39 year-old Ryan Giggs, and Paul Scholes, a year the remarkable Welshman’s junior.
Only six weeks ago, Ferdinand declared that if he was recalled by Hodgson he ‘would pack my bags and go straight there’.
When he joins up with his 25 national team-mates on Monday, the defender will prove as good as his word – a scenario confirmed by Ferguson following United’s defeat of Reading;
‘Yes, he (Ferdinand) will definitely go’.
During the same interview in which he asserted his eagerness to continue an England career, Ferdinand spoke of the value of capitalising on – and appreciating – every opportunity the game provides;
‘It is good to get nice stuff but it’s about playing and what you achieve as a player.
‘Do you want to play for England, do you want to win trophies? Some kids aren’t lucky enough to have these moments or don’t realise those moments when they hit them. I was fortunate I did’.
Those words were spoken with the wisdom of a man whose career could have been even more fulfilling than the one which has thus far seen him play in two World Cup finals tournaments, and earn five Premier League winners medals to sit with his Champions League gong and two League Cups.
Some of Ferdinand’s major playing disappointments have been self-inflicted. Selected for England in September 1997 by Glenn Hoddle, a drink-driving conviction resulted in the then 18 year-old being dropped from that squad. His full international debut would come in a Wembley friendly two months later.
Off-field incidents and on-field lapses in concentration prevented Ferdinand’s early years with West Ham being marked by the progress expected after his first team-debut at the age of 17. Nevertheless, during four-and-a-half seasons at Upton Park (including a valuable loan spell at AFC Bournemouth in the first of those terms) the defender’s vast potential and undeniable star quality ensured he became one of the game’s most sought after defenders – a status which eventually earned a move to David O’Leary’s upwardly mobile Leeds United.
Harry Redknapp, who was in charge at West Ham throughout Ferdinand’s embryonic professional career, paid his defender the ultimate compliment a year prior to selling him to the Yorkshire club, by comparing him favourably with the Hammers’ historically most revered and iconic player – England’s World Cup winning captain, Bobby Moore.
‘Rio’s got much more ability than Bobby ever had. Bobby had no pace and couldn’t head the ball, but he became a great player.
‘Rio’s as quick as anyone I’ve seen, he’s outstanding in the air, and he can pass the ball superbly. Half the people in international football can’t pass a football, but Rio can and he doesn’t give it away very often.
‘When Rio came through at 17, I said he was the player England have spent 30 years waiting for, someone who can bring the ball out of defence and pass it. He is the sort of player a manager can build his side around’.
Those who were still unconvinced by Ferdinand’s worth – and considered Leeds’ Irish manager might be unnecessarily disrupting a strong and settled Elland Road defensive unit – had extra weight for their argument after a catastrophic debut at Leicester City. Seemingly shoe-horned into a three-man rear-guard alongside Jonathan Woodgate and Lucas Radebe, Ferdinand struggled alarmingly as his new club fell three goals behind within 29 minutes – going on to lose the match 3-1.
Undeterred, Ferdinand swiftly became central to Leeds’ thrilling run to that season’s Champions League semi-final stage. The following campaign he was installed as the captain of O’Leary’s captivating young side.
Since that brief spell with the three-times English champions, Ferdinand’s eleven years at Old Trafford – although not without their dips (chiefly an 8 month ban in 2004 for missing a drug test – a punishment which cost the Manchester United man the chance to play at the 2004 European Championship finals) – have confirmed the exalted status that Redknapp foresaw his elegant rookie defender achieving.
Watching England tackle San Marino and then Montenegro might not be the viewing of choice for a majority of football fans if they were presented the alternative of enjoying their club side in action. Nevertheless, a great proportion of those very same people will be desperate to see their country represented in Brazil a year from now.
For that wish to become a reality, a win in the hostile Montenegrin capital’s Podgorica City Stadium could prove essential. The possibility of achieving such an outcome will be increased by the presence of the stately Ferdinand.
If the classy defender wasn’t playing to such a rarefied standard, Hodgson would have simply continued Ferdinand’s international exile, and Ferguson – a man who never speaks publicly without having his own needs as prime motivation – would not have been moved to air his concerns regarding the potential detrimental impact of a more exacting schedule on a valued player.
Yes Ferdinand, has ruled himself out this time, but it’s good to have him back in contention.
This writer speaks as somebody who wasn’t immediately convinced, but if there remain any onlookers who continue to harbour reservations concerning the majesty of this mature footballing version of Rio Ferdinand they are surely in a tiny minority.
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