Rio Ferdinand won 10 major trophies throughout his 12-year spell at Manchester United, but the legendary centre-back never got his hands on the FA Cup.
After a then-record transfer from Leeds, Rio Ferdinand proved himself to be one of the finest defenders in the world at Manchester United.
A Rolls-Royce defender in the eyes of many, Ferdinand won six Premier League titles and lifted the Champions League in 2008.
The rare hole in Ferdinand’s career is the fact that he never won the FA Cup, despite United going all the way in football’s oldest competition just once during his time at Old Trafford.
Rio Ferdinand walking back after missing penalty against Everton
Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images
Rio Ferdinand played in two FA Cup finals but won none
Ferdinand dreamed about winning the FA Cup, but it never happened despite coming close on multiple occasions.
While United lifted the FA Cup in 2004 following a 3-0 win over Millwall, Ferdinand was infamously absent because he was serving an 8-month ban for missing a routine drugs test in September 2003.
The irony is that United won the trophy without Ferdinand, meaning he missed out on the only FA Cup winner’s medal the club would win before he left for Queens Park Rangers in 2014.
A year later, Ferdinand played 120 minutes in the final against Arsenal. The Red Devils dominated the game before Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side won 5-4 on penalties.
More United News
United had to wait until 2007 to reach another FA Cup final. Before a fifth-round tie against Reading, Ferdinand stressed how much it would mean to win the FA Cup.
“The FA Cup is massive for me,” Ferdinand told MUTV, as quoted by Sky Sports. “I would very much like to get my hands on it.
“I have never won it. I missed the Millwall game because I was banned and, obviously, then we got beaten by Arsenal, which will go down as one of the most disappointing days in my career so far.
“Winning it this year would wipe away some of the bad memories, so fingers crossed it will happen.”
It was the first-ever FA Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium. Unfortunately, Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side secured a 1-0 win after a late Didier Drogba goal in extra time. This meant Ferdinand was a runner-up for a second time in the competition.
In many ways, the Everton penalty nightmare in 2009 was up there with the worst. United were chasing every trophy at the time, but the Toffees forced the game to penalties. Dimitar Berbatov missed his penalty as did Ferdinand, ultimately leading to United’s disappointing exit.
Man Utd have appeared in most FA Cup finals
United last won the FA Cup in 2024, after beating Man City in the final, but they were knocked out of the third round this season following a 2-1 defeat against Brighton.
It was United’s 13th time winning the FA Cup, meaning they are still one trophy lift away from matching Arsenal’s record of 14.
However, United did hold the record for appearing in the most (22) FA Cup finals.
United’s maiden triumph was back in 1909 following a win over Bristol City, but didn’t win it again until 1948 under Sir Matt Busby.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox