Rio Ferdinand's son has followed in his father's footsteps and made his debut in professional football, but he's a very different player to the former Manchester United man. The Englishman is considered one of the greatest centre-backs in Premier League history and made a name for himself at Old Trafford, where he spent 12 years and lifted six league titles as well as a Champions League trophy and multiple League Cups.
His legacy in English football is one of a kind and, having retired in 2015, he left some very big shoes to fill for his son if he ever decided to try his luck in football too. That's exactly what he's done too and Lorenz Ferdinand has now made his professional debut at 18 years old. He's done it under very different circumstances than his dad, though.
Rio came through the ranks at West Ham United and made his professional debut for the club in the Premier League, coming off the bench in a 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday in 1996. His son, though, has gotten his start at a much different level.
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Lorenz Ferdinand Made His Debut For Havant & Waterlooville
He's joined the side on work experience
Like his father, Lorenz Ferdinand came through the youth ranks at a Premier League club. He's currently on the books of Brighton & Hove Albion, having progressed through the Seagulls' academy. To get his first taste of senior football, though, he's had to drop down the English football pyramid and recently joined Havant & Waterlooville in the seventh tier of English football.
He joined the Hampshire-based club on work experience earlier this week and wasted little time getting into the thick of things. Work experience deals allow young players like Lorenz to temporarily join teams outside of transfer windows. Just 24 hours after arriving at the team, he was straight into the starting lineup for their game against Marlow in the Southern League Premier South. It was a winning start too, as his side ran out 3–1 winners over their opponents. Shortly after signing the star, Havant released a statement and said:
"Havant and Waterlooville Football Club are thrilled to announce that Lorenz Ferdinand has joined on work experience from Premier League outfit Brighton & Hove Albion for the remainder of the Season! Ferdinand, 18, came through the set-up at Brighton & Hove Albion where he now continues to refine his trade in their Under-21’s set-up.
"Lorenz links up with Shaun North’s side for the run-in as the push towards the end of the season continues! We welcome Lorenz to the Hawks and look forward to seeing him in action very soon."
It was a very different setting for the youngster's debut in comparison to his father, but the two are also very different types of player.
Lorenz Ferdinand is a Goalkeeper
He isn't a defender like his dad
Rio Ferdinand Man United
Rio is considered one of the best centre-backs to have ever come out of England, but his son has decided to steer clear of the position. Instead, he's plying his trade as a goalkeeper and was in between the sticks for Havant & Waterlooville against Marlow on Saturday. He's made 22 appearances for Brighton's U18 team so far.
With Bart Vebruggen in goal for the senior side, he'll have a tough time breaking into Fabian Hurzeler's plans and the move to Havant should give him some valuable minutes in professional football that could help his development in the future.