How much is Rio Ferdinand worth? Ever wondered what Rio Ferdinand net worth? Let’s dive into over six weeks research and reveal all!
In 2002, Rio Ferdinand became the world’s most expensive defender when he became a Manchester United player.
Rio Ferdinand Net Worth
| Rio Ferdinand Net Worth 2021 | £57,000,000 |
| Rio Ferdinand Net Worth 2020 | £55,000,000 |
| Rio Ferdinand Net Worth 2019 | £48,000,000 |
| Rio Ferdinand Net Worth 2018 | £45,000,000 |
After making the move from Leeds United, Ferdinand won the Premier League six times. Moreover, he has a Champions League medal, a Club World Cup medal, an FA Cup, and two League Cup medals.
As a player, he was a divisive figure among the Man United faithful. In his 12 season career as a Red Devils player, he has had his highs and lows. Like the opposite ends of a coin.
This article would focus on Rio Ferdinand’s personal life as well as his career. How much is Rio Ferdinand worth these days? Is he married? Does he have any children? Find the answers down below.
Early Life
Rio Ferdinand was born to Janice Lavender and Julian Ferdinand in 1978 at Camberwell, England. His mother Janice, has Irish family roots, while his father hails from an Afro-Saint Lucian origin.
The couple never got married, but they used to stay together as a family when Rio was born. Both of them financially supported the family. Janice worked as a governess and Julian was a tailor.
They broke up when Rio became 14 years old. The family was settled in Peckham. After separation, Julian moved to another estate, but he would often visit Rio and maintained a regular relationship with him.
Julian would take Rio and his younger brothers (Anton and Jeremiah) to parks and football practice. Rio got his elementary education from Camelot Primary School.
During his Camelot days, Rio developed a penchant for mathematics. He excelled at the subject, and also took part in various cultural activities. Afterwards, he enrolled in Blackheath Bluecoat School.
Rio was a popular kid in Blackheath and had a huge social circle. He loved meeting with new people, but the tragic death of a fellow pupil in his second year made him a bit more reserved.
In Blackheath, Rio attended the school theatre and took ballet classes alongside pursuing gymnastics and football. When he was 10, he received a ballet scholarship.
At the same time, he also got the opportunity to train at the Queens Park Rangers academy. But, he chose to take ballet classes at London’s Central School of Ballet instead.
Youth Career
Rio Ferdinand did not take long to catch the eye of youth team coaches. He earned comparisons with Pele when he was only 11 years old. His talent was evident, and his future looked bright as a future football star.
The Pele analogy should have already given it away, but we are going to say it anyway. Rio did not start as a centre-back in his football infancy days. At Elham Town, he used to play as a playmaker.
But, club scouts persuaded him to take a deeper role in the pitch. They saw all the right attributes of a centre-back in him. Their eagle eye observation did not prove wrong in the future.
When he was a high school student, Rio trained with a host of London clubs. Chelsea, Milwall, Charlton Athletic, QPR- he trained with all these clubs.
During one of his school summer breaks, he travelled to Northern England to visit Middlesbrough’s training facility. But, West Ham became his first longterm football home later on.
Senior Career
After Frank Lampard Sr. (Chelsea legend Frank Lampard’s father) brought Rio to West Ham’s youth system, he earned his first professional contract at the club.
Between 1995 and 2000, Rio spent five years with the Hammers as a senior player. The club loaned him out to Bournemouth in 1996/97 to advance his development.
Even though Rio did not join Manchester United until 2002, Sir Alex Ferguson made his first advancement for the player in 1997. But, West Ham rejected the bid and United signed Henning Berg instead.
After five years at West Ham, Rio saw his stocks rise enormously as a footballer. As a result, he made a big-money move to Leeds United in 2000. The deal cost the Peacocks £18m in transfer fees.
It was the highest transfer fee in Europe paid for a defender back then. It was also a British transfer record. But, his life at Elland Road did not have a perfect start.
On his debut, Leeds suffered a 3-1 loss to Leicester City. However, he recovered well from that bitter experience and cemented his status as a mainstay in the Leeds back four.
He was excellent in Leeds’ stellar European campaign, that led the Yorkshire club to the Champions League semifinals. The next season he secured the captain’s armband.
But, rumours began to circulate that Leeds was in financial troubles. And at the end of that season, the club had to sell Rio reluctantly to arch-rivals Man United.
The fee was in the region of £30m, which broke Rio’s own record of being the world’s most expensive defender. At Man United, he would go on to enjoy a trophy-laden career that lasted 12 seasons.
After leaving Man United in 2014, he joined QPR. He announced his retirement in 2015.
England Career
Rio Ferdinand had represented England 81 times. Ashley Cole is the only non-white player, who had played more games than Rio for the Three Lions.
Despite featuring in four World Cup squads for England, Rio never played in the European stage for his country. He couldn’t make the squad for Euro 2000 and received a ban before Euro 2004.
Rio refused to take a drug test in September 2003. As a result, the FA served him with an 8-month suspension. Hence, he missed Euro 2004 that took place in June. In Euro 08, England couldn’t qualify.
Rio, who went to South Africa as England captain for the World Cup 2010, was not in consideration for Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2012 England squad. Speculations suggest the decision was made for off-pitch reasons.
At that time, John Terry was accused of racially abusing Rio’s brother Anton Ferdinand, who was playing for Queens Park Rangers. Terry allegedly hurled insults at him during a Premier League tie.
Reportedly, Hodgson did not want to put John Terry and Rio Ferdinand in the same contingent. He wanted to avoid a personal conflict, so he had to sacrifice Rio.
Of course, Roy Hodgson never corroborated to this account. He insisted that he couldn’t accommodate Rio in the squad strictly for footballing reasons.
Rio Ferdinand Net Worth & House
Clubs like Leeds United and Manchester United recognised Rio Ferdinand’s worth as a player. Therefore, they did not hesitate to break the banks to secure his services as a player.
But, now that Ferdinand has retired his boots, what is his financial status now. How much is Rio Ferdinand worth in 2020? The answer might come to you as a surprise.
Forbes reports Rio Ferdinand net worth is currently £55m. After retirement, Rio Ferdinand has been working as a pundit for BT Sports. Recently, it was reported that he had to take a pay cut because of the pandemic.
In Leeds, he had signed a 5-year contract with a weekly salary of £30,000. It was £9,000 more than what he was earning at West Ham. After joining Manchester United, his wages rose to £70k per week.
During his 8 month layoff between 2003 and 2004, Rio made £2.4m in wages without kicking the ball for a single time. This figure excludes the bonus earnings.
Before leaving Man United, he was making £200k a week. In Queens Park Rangers, the amount was below the £100k mark. He also had a lucrative endorsement deal with Nike.
In 2018, Rio sold his Alderly Edge mansion for £2m to move to his new palace at Bromley, Kent. He had originally asked for £4.5m but had to settle for less than half the asking price.
Rio Ferdinand and Les Ferdinand
Queens Park Rangers legend and current sporting director Les Ferdinand is a cousin of Rio Ferdinand. He received the MBE in 2005 for his contributions in football.
Final Say
Throughout this piece, we have tried to shed light on Rio Ferdinand net worth and his personal life besides his career. But, even his enormous wealth does not reflect how good he was as a footballer. He is one of the best defenders England has ever seen.
