How good was Rio Ferdinand? | …….

[Paxi]

I'm not going to write a long intro, I'm hoping a discussion will pick up naturally.

I just want to know how highly you (as a United fan) rate him. How highly opposition fans rate him, now.

I want to know the general opinion on him. I.e was he the best defender United ever had? Do Liverpool fans still think Sami Hyypia was better than him?

Your thoughts caftards.

 

[Gbenger]

He was really good but Vidic was better than him. That's all.

 

[puNANI]

Peak Rio (06-09) is one of the best defenders I've been able to watch and I think that there hasn't been a defender in EPL History that was better than that version of him. The pre-peak Rio with concentration issues and post peak Rio with back problems were still really good defenders but its all up to personal choice as to whether you prefer rating players on longevity or their prime and their play style.

 

[stepic]

World class. Think he was better than Vidic personally, but that's more about the kind of central defender i prefer.

 

[Paxi]

He was really good but Vidic was better than him. That's all.

Really? I thought Vidic complemented Rio. Without Rio there wouldn't be Vidic. Akin to Carvalho and Terry imo.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Very similar to Terry in that both were brilliant but slightly overrated due to being English. Vidic was better than Ferdinand and Carvalho was better than Terry in my opinion, though there wasn't a lot between the four of them.

Gets additional points for being a proper leader on the pitch, though he fell off a cliff as he aged. Still you'd say he's a real legend of a player and up there with the best of his generation.

 

[Paxi]

Peak Rio (06-09) is one of the best defenders I've been able to watch and I think that there hasn't been a defender in EPL History that was better than that version of him. The pre-peak Rio with concentration issues and post peak Rio with back problems were still really good defenders but its all up to personal choice as to whether you prefer rating players on longevity or their prime.

That's a good shout! Wasn't he playing with injections into his back from 2008?

 

[Jaybomb]

He was really good but Vidic was better than him. That's all.

This. Both world class though. Best partnership in PL history

 

[Camilo]

He was great for us, but I never felt safe when he was on the ball. In all honesty, he could be a bit of a donkey.. You see where Jones gets it from.

Part of great teams with great belief in my opinion. Not as solid as Vidic, but a leader.

 

[MrMarcello]

Rio was better than Vidic IMO but Stam was still the best in club history. He was Rio and Vidic in one.

 

[Paxi]

Very similar to Terry in that both were brilliant but slightly overrated due to being English. Vidic was better than Ferdinand and Carvalho was better than Terry in my opinion, though there wasn't a lot between the four of them.

Gets additional points for being a proper leader on the pitch, though he fell off a cliff as he aged. Still you'd say he's a real legend of a player and up there with the best of his generation.

Personally I thought Terry was overrated and Rio underrated. Red specs on though.

Imo Carvalho is best defender you had post Abramovich.

 

[Paxi]

He was great for us, but I never felt safe when he was on the ball. In all honesty, he could be a bit of a donkey.. You see where Jones gets it from.

Part of great teams with great belief in my opinion. Not as solid as Vidic, but a leader.

Seriously? I'm not trying to be smart as it was a long time ago but I thought Rio was excellent on the ball to say the least. Anyway, I wanted a discussion and I got it.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Personally I thought Terry was overrated and Rio underrated. Red specs on though.

Imo Carvalho is best defender you had post Abramovich.

Oh fully agree that Carvalho is the best defender we've had. I'd probably put Ashley Cole 2nd, Desailly 3rd, Terry 4th.

I may be misguided here but weren't United significantly better with Vidic there absent Rio rather than vice versa? I'm not suggesting that Rio wasn't world class but I always thought Vidic got less credit from the press. I didn't follow United as closely though so I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong!

 

[WhoDaGOAT]

Rio was comfortably better than Vidić, although Vida had two absolute standout seasons (08/09 and 10/11). He was the best defender in the world during those 2 seasons.

Rio was just smooth; everything at his own pace and in his own time. Very assured of himself. Calmness personified.

 

[shamans]

Very similar to Terry in that both were brilliant but slightly overrated due to being English. Vidic was better than Ferdinand and Carvalho was better than Terry in my opinion, though there wasn't a lot between the four of them.

Gets additional points for being a proper leader on the pitch, though he fell off a cliff as he aged. Still you'd say he's a real legend of a player and up there with the best of his generation.

Really don't agree with that and don't think they were overrated either. Being the leading defender for such successful premier league teams for such a long time is not easy. Vidic and Carvalho were monster defenders but Terry and Ferdinand were the sort that gelled the whole defense together and lifted the teams entire defensive system. That's a rare talent to have similar to how some midfielders can dictate the game.

I do think Vidic had a slightly higher peak (1-2 seasons) but I'd take Rio over him.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

He was great for us, but I never felt safe when he was on the ball. In all honesty, he could be a bit of a donkey.. You see where Jones gets it from.

Part of great teams with great belief in my opinion. Not as solid as Vidic, but a leader.

This I'm honestly shocked by. Rio was a great passer of the ball and was so calm in possession.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

I adore that tackle vs Ronaldinho. But yeah, dreadlocks/shaven head Rio was the best.

 

[SCP]

Not an United fan, but I have to say that Rio was amongst the best in the world, and wasn't overhyped, he really was good, when you see Cahill and Smalling playing for England it is hard to not remember about Rio or Terry, even if you are not English.

 

[Skills]

Oh fully agree that Carvalho is the best defender we've had. I'd probably put Ashley Cole 2nd, Desailly 3rd, Terry 4th.

I may be misguided here but weren't United significantly better with Vidic there absent Rio rather than vice versa? I'm not suggesting that Rio wasn't world class but I always thought Vidic got less credit from the press. I didn't follow United as closely though so I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong!

It's more the case at their peaks (06-11) Vidic was there more often without Rio than vice versa. Rio was still the one who kept the clean sheet against Barcelona in the 08 semi final without Vidic.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Really don't agree with that and don't think they were overrated either. Being the leading defender for such successful premier league teams for such a long time is not easy. Vidic and Carvalho were monster defenders but Terry and Ferdinand were the sort that gelled the whole defense together and lifted the teams entire defensive system.

Eh, I only say overrated in that the two of them were touted as the best defenders in the world by much of the English press when I'd personally argue that they weren't the best in their own teams. It is true that the communication and leadership both provided were key to success; perhaps I'm not giving either enough credit here.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

This I'm honestly shocked by. Rio was a great passer of the ball and was so calm in possession.

He had a tendency to hoof the ball up for absolutely no reason a few times a game.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

It's more the case at their peaks (06-11) Vidic was there more often without Rio than vice versa. Rio was still the one who kept the clean sheet against Barcelona in the 08 semi final without Vidic.

I could have sworn I saw a comparison in points won and the difference was pretty stark, but perhaps I'm way off base. Thanks for the clarification though, it's entirely possible I'm just remembering some highlight matches!

 

[Gbenger]

Really? I thought Vidic complemented Rio. Without Rio there wouldn't be Vidic. Akin to Carvalho and Terry imo.

Vidic's peak was higher IMO and I personally rate him as the more important player in the duo, even if so slightly and to be fair he was better than Rio at almost everything except being on the ball or some folks might prefer Rio's style in general and calmness but it all comes down to personal preference so maybe it's a bit fickle. I won't be surprised if most posters here rate Rio higher. He's English after all and there might be a bit of bias.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

He had a tendency to hoof the ball up for absolutely no reason a few times a game.

But if he's hoofing it clear why would that make you feel unsafe? Genuinely curious; my insecurity over a defender tends to be when they dally on the ball and/or are careless rather than being overly cautious.

 

[Skills]

This I'm honestly shocked by. Rio was a great passer of the ball and was so calm in possession.

Far too many people infested the soccer/football bandwagon post Guadiola's Barcelona. Now anyone who isn't as smooth as Pirlo on the ball, is now a donkey. I.e. most center halves

 

[Paxi]

Oh fully agree that Carvalho is the best defender we've had. I'd probably put Ashley Cole 2nd, Desailly 3rd, Terry 4th.

I may be misguided here but weren't United significantly better with Vidic there absent Rio rather than vice versa? I'm not suggesting that Rio wasn't world class but I always thought Vidic got less credit from the press. I didn't follow United as closely though so I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong!

Well I can't remember any prolonged periods that Rio was absent after his drugs ban, so I can't say.

Talent wise, Desailly was your best defender hands down. Although over the course of their career it would be Terry Imo

 

[edcunited1878]

He was great for us, but I never felt safe when he was on the ball. In all honesty, he could be a bit of a donkey.. You see where Jones gets it from.

Part of great teams with great belief in my opinion. Not as solid as Vidic, but a leader.

What??? Comparing Rio's ball skills to Jones is speechless...WTF, seriously.

http://therepublikofmancunia.com/rio-ferdinands-brilliant-disciplinary-record/
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/may/20/championsleague.manchesterunited9

 

[2cents]

I may be misguided here but weren't United significantly better with Vidic there absent Rio rather than vice versa?

Hard to say. We had our run of clean sheets in 08/09 largely without Rio in the side, Vidic partnered with Evans for most of those games I think. On the other hand our two best defensive performances under Fergie came against Barca the season before with Rio and Wes Brown in central defence.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Well I can't remember any prolonged periods that Rio was absent after his drugs ban, so I can't say.

Talent wise, Desailly was your best defender hands down. Although over the course of their career it would be Terry Imo

True if you look at their careers as a whole, but by the time he came to Chelsea he was 30 and so wasn't quite at his peak. I still think about how good he could have been had he not been wasted in Milan as a midfielder. He's still one of my favourite players of all time though and I've got a signed shirt of his; one of my prized possessions. I do stand by my rankings for defenders as Chelsea players though.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Hard to say. We had our run of clean sheets in 08/09 largely without Rio in the side, Vidic partnered with Evans for most of those games I think. On the other hand our two best defensive performances under Fergie came against Barca the season before with Rio and Wes Brown in central defence.

Ah so maybe this is why I'm a bit confused. Thanks very much for the clarification.

 

[Paxi]

I personally rate Vidic as the more important player in the duo, even if so slightly and to be fair he was better than Rio at almost everything except on the ball or some folks might prefer Rio's admonition in general and calmness but it all comes down to personal preference so maybe it's a bit fickle. I won't be surprised if most posters here rate Rio higher. He's English after all and there might be a bit of bias.

Listen, if you click on my profile on the caf you'll see that Vida is my favorite player of all time but to say that Rio was only better on the ball as him is not right. Rio had incredible positional sense, read the game excellently, he was in short a more complete footballer. It's precisely why I'm asking this question as I rate Vidic extremely highly.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Listen, if you click on my profile on the caf you'll see that Vida is my favorite player of all time but to say that Rio was only better on the ball as him is not right. Rio had incredible positional sense, read the game excellently, he was in short a more complete footballer. It's precisely why I'm asking this question as I rate Vidic extremely highly.

I always thought Rio was better at reading the game from deeper whilst Vidic could play very aggressively; it's part of the reason why they complemented each other so well.

 

[2cents]

True if you look at their careers as a whole, but by the time he came to Chelsea he was 30 and so wasn't quite at his peak. I still think about how good he could have been had he not been wasted in Milan as a midfielder. He's still one of my favourite players of all time though and I've got a signed shirt of his; one of my prized possessions. I do stand by my rankings for defenders as Chelsea players though.

I never thought Desailly was wasted in midfield, but moving back to CB certainly did nothing to harm his stature in the game.

Ah so maybe this is why I'm a bit confused. Thanks very much for the clarification.

I think with United fans it's mostly a matter of style preference - personally while I loved Vidic's all action approach to defending, I'm more partial to Rio's more sophisticated, positional play. Ultimately though they complemented each other perfectly and maybe wouldn't have had the careers they had without each other.

 

[Fingeredmouse]

Best defender I've seen at Utd.

 

[edcunited1878]

Rio individually was world class. Vida individually was world class. Together w/o and with VDS behind them, they were world class.

Pace, strength, ball playing ability, reading the game. He was a continental defender with Premier League defensive qualities. To question how great he was is mind-numbing. Seriously. The thread should end soon after a few more YouTube videos.

He'll be remembered for drugs ban, altercation with Terry, transfer size/suit/cornrows.

And to top it all off, his mentality and drive to win was top-fecking-notch.

 

[Rockets Redglare]

He was great for us, but I never felt safe when he was on the ball. In all honesty, he could be a bit of a donkey.. You see where Jones gets it from.

Part of great teams with great belief in my opinion. Not as solid as Vidic, but a leader.

Ridiculous comment, which makes me believe you hardly saw a prime Ferdinand. He was incredibly confident with the ball and his technique was fantastic for a centre back.
Christ is Rio was a donkey I'd hate to hear what you think of the likes of Pallister and Bruce.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

I never thought Desailly was wasted in midfield, but moving back to CB certainly did nothing to harm his stature in the game.



I think with United fans it's mostly a matter of style preference - personally while I loved Vidic's all action approach to defending, I'm more partial to Rio's more sophisticated, positional play. Ultaimtely though they complemented each other perfectly and maybe wouldn't have had the careers they had without each other.

You're right, wasted is too strong. Just think he was a better centre half than midfielder. I just think that he'd have been unequivocally the best CB in the world had he played there during his physical prime.

With regard to your second point, I think much of the Chelsea fanbase feels the same way about Terry/Carvalho, though it's a bit skewed since Terry has obviously been at the club for far far longer. Really tough to choose between the four of them IMO, though if I had to stake my life on a match I think my partnership would be Vidic-Carvalho (no offense).

 

[Paxi]

I'm going to be controversial here but I think Ferdinand was a better defender than Fabio Cannavaro.

 

[Raoul]

World Class for much of his career. Our best defender ever.

 

[Pink Moon]

I'm going to be controversial here but I think Ferdinand was a better defender than Fabio Cannavaro.

Why Cannavaro specifically?