FERDINAND

Last updated : 21 May 2006 By Ed

Interview in The Guardain:

'Wayne's going to be one of the best in the world at some stage, maybe by the time this World Cup finishes if he gets fit, but you can't harp on about a single injury no matter how good the player.

'We are more than one man.

'A shining beacon to us all was Steven Gerrard in the FA Cup final. It was a good way to soften the blow of missing Wayne to see someone performing like that, pulling out a result the way he did. That wasn't a one-off, either, he's done it on numerous occasions, and if he can bring that to England it will be fantastic. Last Saturday I was just happy Stevie was English. He's proved he can win matches for Liverpool; if he can do the same on an even bigger stage for England it will be great.'

Hang on a minute. Surely we can take Ferdinand's West Ham allegiance for granted. Was he whooping or drooping when Gerrard drilled in that last-minute equaliser? 'I was bleedin' gutted, wasn't I?' he laughs, England horizons shrinking to East End roots with a snap. 'I was pulled in both directions. As a football fan it was unbelievable to go through all those emotions, see all those ups and downs in one game. For my brother and myself and West Ham it was disappointing in the end, but I told Anton he could walk away with his head held high because it was such a great final.'

After his eight-month ban for missing a drugs test three years ago and being dropped by Sven-Goran Eriksson for the match against Austria last year, Ferdinand no longer takes his England place for granted, either. Eriksson has plenty of options at centre-half, even with the injuries that have kept out Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate.

'Fingers crossed I'm in the starting XI,' he says. 'Being dropped was a wake-up call. If I had regarded it as anything else I wouldn't deserve to be anywhere near the England squad. Sven told me at training and obviously it was devastating. You don't want to be dropped by anybody, let alone the England manager. It hit home, but I knew what I had to do to get back in the team. That was knuckle down and play well and get my form back on track with United.

More Rio:

"You can't put into words how much you miss a tournament like the European Championship.

"It's as though someone has cut a big chunk out of your career. I missed so much football because of what happened. Not just England but the Premier League as well.

"I missed that season and to then miss the European Championship was heartbreaking.

"It's funny because sometimes you listen to people talk about what happened in that tournament and I can't get involved in the conversation because I don't know what they're talking about.

"I found it difficult to watch in some ways but I am a supporter and I was in a bar in Miami with my mates, watching England games and singing Rooney songs and standing on tables.

"So I always have a little reminder of what happened. But the fact is it has happened and no matter how much I look back, it's not going to change anything. I can only look forward."

Rio on Gary Neville:

"You speak to any of the English coaches, or the coaches at Old Trafford, and they will tell you I'm the biggest moaner in the world.

"I'm a bigger moaner than Gary Neville ... he just does it publicly.

"My missus will tell you that she doesn't talk to me when we have lost. She can't talk to me because all she will get is a one-word answer.

"I try to avoid people. If I do anything like watch TV, the game goes through my head so I just have to sit on my own."