Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand in wheelchair resulting from soccer
The impact of playing football has left Rio Ferdinand’s body in bits. The Manchester United
Rio getting whipped into shape(Image: David Venni / Men’s Health UK)
Years playing football for England has left Rio Ferdinand requiring a wheelchair.
The impact of the Manchester United defender’s long and successful career resulted in significant injuries, and he still finds himself having to stay hospital over a decade after he retired.
Now 47, Ferdinand told Men’s Health UK: “I’ve had a bad back for a long time. I’ve got injuries that I had from my career…I was on tablets and injections for six years to play games. That’s affected me. I get some bad moments of back pain where I have to be in a hospital for a couple of days or in a wheelchair for a couple of days. It’s mad, but it just comes out of nowhere.”
Ferdinand and his family now live in Dubai which he calls a new “adventure” and he’s learnt new techniques to preserve his body better.
“I’ve been seeing a physio for the first time since I retired,” he revealed. “He’s been doing loads of manipulations and whatnot, and within his building there’s also my personal trainer, so he feeds him information about my training. There’s a holistic approach to what I’m doing now and hopefully that’s going to put me in good stead. Rather than fixing when it’s broken, you actually prevent [injuries]. I know my sh*t now. But I’m 47 years old. It took me all that time.”
With 14 major honours to his name, including six Premier League titles, Rio could probably put his feet up now. However, it’s important for him to inspire his children.
He explained: “I’ve got kids that need to see a work ethic. My kids need to see me getting up and going to work. They need to see me and [my wife] Kate going to the gym. I want them to have a healthy lifestyle and to think that going to the gym or just moving is the norm.
“And I’m not about telling my kids that; they need to see it. But also, if I’m being honest, I have to go to work for my mental sanity as well. I like work; my mum and dad worked. They were grafters. That’s all I’ve known. When my kids talk about me, as much as it is, yeah, ‘Daddy loves me’ and ‘Daddy’s done everything for me.’ It’s ‘Daddy worked hard. He was a hustler.’ You know what I mean?”
Being in Dubai with wife Kate and family is a completely different lifestyle from the rigours of football training in Manchster.
He agreed: “My life has been governed by the fixture list while playing football and then, post-career, being a pundit. There aren’t many opportunities in life where you get time to make a big change, have an adventure, step out of your comfort zone and explore something new. So this is it. This is what we wanted to do.”
Last year Rio left TNT Sports and started his own YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand Presents and it’s all about pushing himself out of his comfort zone.
“I like being tested. I like pressure,” he added. “I had it fine at TNT. I could have signed a new contract at TNT. Easily. But that ain’t who I am really. It’s time for something new….Because I saw the new world is that linear TV and live football are always going to be there, but there’s also another world outside the 90 minutes that intrigues me, which I look at like a fan. So I want to know what these guys are eating, how do they sleep, how do they recover? I want to get the public closer to that and I want to be at the forefront of that.”
Rio the footballer will always be a legend to Manchester United fans, but Rio the man post football is a work in a progress.
“[I want to be remembered] as someone who worked hard and has been successful in multiple sectors,” he mused. “Whether it’s my [Rio Ferdinand] Foundation, which has been going for 15 years, helping underprivileged kids, or whether it’s my [Rio Ferdinand Presents] media company or other successful businesses that I’ve got.
“I just want to be someone who is a doer…who ain’t scared of change or failure. Who always stood up for the right things when need be. And if I can inspire other people doing that type of stuff, then it’s like, ‘Okay, I’ve done all right.’”
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