According to the latest rumors, Rio Ferdinand will join QPR next season, under former coach and friend, Harry Redknapp. Former Manchester United captain, now a free agent, is still looking to play.
In fact, after 12 years at Old Trafford, where the English defender won virtually everything, multiple times, Ferdinand decided to look for a new adventure elsewhere. The world class talent refused offers from BBC and BT for a media career, in order to follow his dream.
Youngster Rio Ferdinand with Frank Lampard and Harry Redknapp
Despite being 35 years old, Rio received several offers to keep playing, both in England and abroad. None were interesting to the Englishman, until Redknapp, who launched Ferdinand’s career at West Ham in 1996, asked him to join QPR.
Rio is in Brazil with BBC's Thierry Henry and Gary Lineker
Former Man United’s defender admitted that Dutch legend Ruud Gullit convinced him to give his football career another chance. Ferdinand revealed:
“He told me the couple of years he had at Chelsea were some of the most enjoyable of his career because there wasn’t at that time the pressure of trying to win trophies.”
The rumored offer by QPR will become official in the next 24 hours, and Rio’s salary could be as low as one third of the weekly £200000 he used to earn with the Red Devils.
Rio Ferdinand was the most expensive defender in the EPL when he joined Leeds for £18M
