Rio Ferdinand has now recalled that two former Manchester United players at Old Trafford caught the eyes of others for all of the right reasons.
The 47-year-old Manchester United legend retired from football in 2015 after a brief spell with Queens Park Rangers, following his longstanding run at Old Trafford.
Rio Ferdinand made 455 appearances for the Red Devils after United signed the former defender from rivals Leeds United for a £30m transfer fee in 2002.
The footballer-turned-pundit captured six Premier League trophies, a Champions League title and two League Cups under Sir Alex Ferguson at Man Utd.
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TV pundit Rio Ferdinand is present during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool at the City Ground in Nottingham, England, on January 14, 2025.
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Rio Ferdinand reveals the reaction that the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney sparked at Man Utd
The majority of Rio Ferdinand’s remarkable Manchester United playing spell was spent under Sir Alex Ferguson before the former Red Devils boss retired in 2013.
During his time under the iconic 84-year-old Scotsman, Ferdinand crossed paths with fellow Man Utd legends Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford.
Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at the Premier League club first after he was signed from Sporting CP, while Ferguson landed Wayne Rooney from Everton in 2004.
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During Hugo Lloris’ admiration of Kylian Mbappe, Ferdinand admitted that he shared his own admiration for Rooney and Ronaldo when they were both teenagers.
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“It’s crazy, though, when you see a young player like this [Mbappe],” he said on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
“Rooney was one of these guys for me or Cristiano Ronaldo, but they come in a change room, they train, and you all look at each other; the senior guys are going, ‘What is this? Wow.’
“And a lot of it is you can see the potential, but like you say, mentally, can they continue this for a long time?”
Rooney played alongside Ferdinand for the England national team and United’s all-time leading scorer is considered one of the best strikers in Premier League history.
Ronaldo, much like former Man Utd teammate Rooney, left behind a profound legacy in the Premier League after his sensational spell at the Red Devils under Ferguson.
Rooney retired from football in 2021 after his brief spell with Derby County, while Ronaldo has been playing for Al Nassr since the end of his second Man Utd run.
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