Rio Ferdinand has become the latest member of the Premier League Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame was launched in 2021, celebrating some of the Premier League’s greatest and most iconic figures. Eight new names are added to the list every year.
Earlier this year, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger were selected to join the Hall of Fame. Six more are to be added, which will be decided by a vote.
Now, one of those six has been revealed. English former centre-back Rio Ferdinand has become the 19th face to receive the honour.
Ferdinand’s career began at West Ham United in 1995. Having come through the youth ranks in east London, he made his professional debut on the final day of the 1995/96 campaign.
After a brief loan spell in the third tier with Bournemouth, the defender soon earned a regular place in West Ham’s first team.
In the 1997/98 season, he won the Hammer of the Year award, aged just 19. During the same season, he received his first of 81 England caps.
He continued to shine at West Ham, prompting Leeds United to splash out a then-British record fee of £18 million on him in November 2000.
He spent one-and-a-half years at Elland Road, helping the Yorkshire club to consecutive top-five finishes, as well as a Champions League semi-final.
Ferdinand later made the switch to Manchester United, again for a then-British record fee. It was at the Red Devils where he would spend the best years of his career, winning nine major trophies.
During his 12 years at Old Trafford, he established himself as one of the world’s finest defenders. The Englishman was a key figure in Ferguson’s dominant Man Utd side, making 455 appearances in all competitions.
He is widely considered to be one of the best centre-backs to ever play in the Premier League. He won six league titles with the Red Devils, and was included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year on six occasions – only Steven Gerrard has more.
The defender spent the final season of his career at Queens Park Rangers. He made a total of 11 league appearances for the Rs, where he was unable to avoid relegation. He announced his retirement from football shortly afterwards.
Ferdinand becomes the eighth former Man Utd man to join the Hall of Fame, after Ferguson, David Beckham, Roy Keane, Eric Cantona, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Peter Schmeichel.
He is also the eighth English player to be inducted.
