Rio retires: Ferdinand’s five best footballing moments

Manchester United v Liverpool (2006): last minute winner
A last-gasp goal against the Reds at Old Trafford is certainly one of the more memorable reasons Ferdinand is etched into Old Trafford folklore.

In a match where their bitter northwest rivals had dominated, Ferdinand leapt to meet a 90th minute free-kick from Ryan Giggs, and headed past Manuel Reina with aplomb, sealing the three points for his side and sending Gary Neville on a famous sprint down the pitch to celebrate in front of Liverpool fans.

Speaking of the goal, Ferdinand later said: “to score a winner like that, last minute in the Stretford End, you explode. If you could bottle that emotion, you’d be a very rich man. ”

Manchester United v Chelsea (2008): Captaining the Red Devils in a Champions League final
Ferdinand won six Premier League titles with Man Utd (9/2 with Coral to win the 2015/16 Premier League), but his one Champions League triumph must surely be considered the crowning achievement in his glittering career.

In a double-winning season, the defender was named captain in the absence of injured Gary Neville, and wore the armband as the Red Devils duelled with domestic rivals Chelsea in Moscow for the Champions League trophy.

The centre half kept his composure as Man Utd eventually won the frenetic final 6-5 on penalties (after drawing 1-1 following normal and extra time), in the year of the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster.

Manchester United v Swansea City (2013): the last goal of the Fergie era
Another honour Ferdinand can lay claim to is scoring the Red Devil’s final goal under Sir Alex Ferguson. The legendary Scottish coach announced his retirement in 2013, with his final game in charge of the reigns against Swansea City at Old Trafford.

It looked as though the Scot would end his 2,131 games in charge of the Manchester club with a draw, after Michu cancelled out Javier Hernandez’s opener, but Ferdinand lashed home a Robin van Persie corner in the 86th minute, ensuring his boss bowed out in style.