Rio Ferdinand admits he 'didn't like' an Arsenal legend

Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand, famous for his composed playing style, has just surprised many by naming the footballer who bothered him the most in direct encounters.

Regarded as one of the greatest center-backs in English football history, Rio Ferdinand joined Manchester United from Leeds United in 2002 and went on to claim numerous trophies with the Red Devils. On the international stage, he earned 81 caps for England between 1997 and 2011.

Because of his composure, skill, and mental strength, very few strikers could ever unsettle Ferdinand. However, there was one man he simply "couldn’t stand": Ian Wright, the legendary Arsenal striker and a fellow English football great.

In an interview with ESPN, Ferdinand confessed that Wright was one of the two opponents who loved to wind him up the most, alongside Craig Bellamy. Interestingly, Wright was Ferdinand’s childhood idol, but facing him on the pitch was a completely different experience. “Wright was my hero growing up. But whenever we played against each other, he’d always try to get under my skin, as if he had to tap my head at all costs,” Ferdinand recalled.

The center-back, born in 1978, reminisced about a particular match between West Ham and Arsenal: “We were about to take a corner, and I stayed back to mark Wright. He was shorter than me, but he’d always look me straight in the eye, then suddenly push my head with his hand. When I reacted, he’d just laugh. At that moment, I thought: ‘I really hate this guy’.” After the game, Ferdinand told his friends in the neighborhood that Wright “wasn’t like the idolized image” he had in his mind before.

In fact, Ferdinand and Wright not only faced each other as rivals but also spent a brief period as teammates at West Ham. They played 20 matches together, but when they became opponents, Ferdinand lost all three encounters with Wright between 1996 and 1998. This only made Wright’s teasing even more irritating for Ferdinand.

Everything changed when Ferdinand joined the England squad and had an honest conversation with Wright. The Arsenal legend explained at the time: “That’s what a striker does, I have to do whatever it takes to mess with the opponent’s mind. Don’t take it personally.” After that talk, Ferdinand finally understood Wright and saw him in a new light.

Now, the two are close colleagues as football pundits on television. Their old stories sometimes come up as funny memories, but for Ferdinand, the experience of “once absolutely hating his idol” is something he’ll never forget throughout his career.