Sir Alex Ferguson and Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson had a word with him at United
Former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand has revealed how Sir Alex Ferguson warned him over his drinking and partying after he had just signed for the club.
Ferdinand became Britain's most expensive footballer when he joined the Red Devils from Leeds in July 2002 for a little over £30million. While the formidable central defender grew to be one of the club's finest-ever players in his position, the 46-year-old has opened up on acclimatising to the strict professional standards at United on his podcast Rio Ferdinand Presents.
The former England international disclosed how his love of partying stemmed from his younger days with West Ham. However, he was granted a reality check when he signed for Sir Alex and quickly had to learn how to balance his social and professional life after the legendary Scot told him to watch how he conducted himself.
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Speaking with Ste Howson and Joel Beya on the pod, iconic Chicago Bulls basketballer Dennis Rodman was mentioned as an example of someone who enjoyed a party-laden lifestyle but was also the foundation of huge success for his team. When Howson questioned who would fit that persona for United during Ferdinand's time with the club, the ex-Leeds star let slip that it would indeed be him.
"At one point it would be me (Being the 'Dennis Rodman of the team) as I loved it (Going on a night out) I loved it," Ferdinand said. "You have to remember that when I was at West Ham it was probably the worst environment to grow up in, it was 'win or lose, have a booze, if you draw, have some more'.
"The team bus on the way home was like a pub, it was unbelievable right, so everyone was drinking, smoking and me and Frank Lampard used to look back going 'one day we'll be back there with those guys' and then I go to Leeds and the professionalism jumps up, but we still went out.
"It was ok because there wasn't a game for 48-hours or more, so we went out at the 'right' times, but we went out and had good, solid all-dayers. Anyway then I signed with United and, I know from being with England that the United guys liked a drink, but they were really conditioned and professional at the right times, not crazy, like, doing it four times a week.
Rio Ferdinand spoke about his nights spent partying during his United days on his podcast (Image: YouTube/Rio Ferdinand Presents)
"So I get there and when I first signed I got injured in a pre-season game before the season started and I was out for six weeks. I went out every night, I wanted to see what the atmosphere was like, what the vibes were like. But the manager found out and slowed me down with one comment: 'you want to stay here? You better watch what you do."
Ferdinand went on to win six Premier League titles, two League Cups and the Champions League with United. However, his glittering haul of silverware may not have materialised had he not cleaned up his act and focused on his game, something he learned from several of United's most disciplined stars.
"I'd been going out four times a week for six weeks, right, and the people in the restaurants knew my name," Ferdinand added. "In the bars they knew me and I was getting tables, this that and the other, I really immersed myself in the culture of Manchester like you should do when you go to a new club.
"And then I realised if I wanted to be successful, as I'm going in half-cut when training starts thinking 'Gary Neville ain't going out, Scholesy (Paul Scholes) ain't going out, Roy's (Roy Keane) not going out, Ruud van Nistelrooy's not going out' and the sessions are sharp man, every day, I had to curb that and become much more professional, fit in with the guys, and then my game got better and I grew into a better player."