Rio Ferdinand revealed which current Premier League striker he believed he would struggle against the most, snubbing Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak. Ferdinand earned a reputation as one of the best defenders in Premier League history and often faced off with the best attackers the world had to offer at the time, such as Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba and Alan Shearer.
Nowadays, the way that football has changed has led to some players saying there is a lack of world-class number nines in the English top flight, with Haaland and Isak among the very few. However, the former Manchester United centre-half named a surprising alternative that he believed he would face a tough time with.
Ferdinand Names Current Prem Forward He Would Struggle Against
Speaking on an episode of '20 Questions' on ESPN's YouTube channel, Ferdinand was asked about the current state of Premier League strikers and which he thought could cause him some headaches. Rather than picking some of the obvious options, including the aforementioned Haaland and Isak, he instead opted to sing the praises of Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta.
"You know who would be a difficult player to play against? Mateta. It's just because he's physical, he's big, strong. A bit unpredictable.
"A bit like Kevin Davies. He would be unpredictable. Predictable that he would be physical, but would come at you from different angles and just make it awkward."
Mateta has become a player transformed since the arrival of Oliver Glasner at Selhurst Park. While he also brought work rate and determination at the top of the pitch, he struggled to find the net routinely at the start of his Crystal Palace career.
Joining the club on loan in January 2021 before making the move permanent a year later, he managed just 12 goals in his first two and a half seasons. However, Glasner's arrival completely changed his fortunes.
Under the former Frankfurt coach, the striker has scored 32 goals in 64 games at an average of a goal every other game. As a result, he represented France at the 2024 Olympics and has since been the subject of interest from the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and other European giants.