Rio Ferdinand--Five Star--The Biography by Wensley Clarkson Read Free Book Online Page A

inches he was commanding in the air and strong on the ground.
    Some of the backroom staff were soon urging Redknapp to try Rio out, but he resisted the temptation for most of that season – until yet another injury crisis forced his hand.

Chapter 4
WATCH YER BACK
    R io’s first Premiership chance came as a substitute in the final game of the 1995–6 season, a 1–1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday. It was an occasion he would never forget. ‘My first touch – the ball came over to me and bounced near the touchline. I just smashed it up to row Z of the stands and the crowd started cheering and laughing.’
    Nobody, including Rio, remembers much more about his first-ever senior appearance for the Hammers. But within days of that first outing with the big boys, Rio noticed reports in the national press suggesting that other Premiership sides were already interested in signing him. It was very distracting at first because his only aim had been to get into the first team and then consolidate his place.
    Then he was called up for the England U-21 squad along with teammate Frank Lampard junior. The buzz on thefootball grapevine was that Rio was definitely one to watch. But it was clear he was going to have a tough time trying to break into the West Ham first team, which at that time featured 11 different nationalities. Redknapp’s preferred back two central defenders were Croatian Slaven Bilic and Dane Marc Rieper.
     
    Rio thought the letter that arrived at his home in May 1996 had been addressed to him by mistake. It was an itinerary for the full England squad’s Euro ’96 campaign. ‘I’d only played one game for West Ham. I looked at the letter again and it was me they wanted. I ran round the house screaming my head off. I was making so much noise my mum came charging after me saying, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”’
    England boss Terry Venables had been determined to invite Rio to join the Euro ’96 squad that summer. For three weeks Rio lived with the squad, trained with the team and stayed in their hotel, absorbing tips from England’s finest. ‘Nervous? You bet,’ he later recalled. ‘Have I got the ability? Or will I look out of place? And do you know what? As soon as I got out there and had my first touch it seemed perfectly normal.’
    Rumour even had it that Rio marked Alan Shearer out of the practice games, although he was sensible enough to play it all down when questioned. ‘He didn’t really do much but it wasn’t a full-blooded match. He probably could have pulled something out if it was a proper game.’
    England got to the semi-finals of Euro ’96 and only lost on penalties to Germany. Rio thoroughly enjoyed his taste of the good life and promised himself he’d be back in the squad proper in the not too distant future. Few disagreed with him.
    By August 1996 Rio and Frank Lampard junior were both pressing hard for Premiership places in the West Ham team. Harry Redknapp was facing constant injury problems and must have been tempted to blood his two young starlets sooner rather than later. The absence of centre-half Richard Hall – West Ham’s close-season signing from Southampton – looked set to open the door for Rio. Lampard was being lined up for his first-ever first-team start because of injuries to John Moncur and Ian Bishop. In the end neither made the starting line-ups for Premiership matches, but Redknapp was confident enough to use them both as regular substitutes over the following few months.
    Frank Lampard junior came from the sort of footballing pedigree that meant he was never likely to lack skill. He was eventually to captain an England U-21 side which included Rio, Joe Cole and Michael Carrick, all from the Hammers. Lampard’s and Rio’s careers followed many similar paths. They both debuted in 1996 for the first team in that same game against Sheffield Wednesday on the last day of the season. Lampard also captained the West Ham youth team that reached the FA Youth Cup