England manager Roy Hodgson and FA Chairman Greg Dyke have paid tribute to Rio Ferdinand following his retirement from football.
Ferdinand, 36, played 81 times for the Three Lions and captained the side on seven occasions.
Rio Ferdinand
Born: 7 November 1978
Clubs: West Ham Utd, Bournemouth (loan), Leeds Utd, Manchester Utd, QPR
England debut: v Cameroon 5/11/97
England caps: 81
England goals: 3
Hodgson said: “I’d like to wish Rio Ferdinand all the best for his retirement. He has made a great contribution to English football both domestically and internationally.
“He was a committed and proud England player in 81 appearances since making his debut in 1997.
“On behalf of The FA and England team we’d like to wish Rio every success in the future after a wonderful football career.
“I hope that his retirement brings him as much success as he achieved in his playing days.”
“I see Rio as being one of the great central defenders of the last 20 years”
Greg Dyke
Dyke also paid tribute to Ferdinand: “I see Rio as being one of the great central defenders of the last 20 years.
“I’d like to say thank you for all he contributed to the game and I hope he’ll continue to contribute to English football in his retirement.”
He represented his country at Under-18 and U21 level and made his senior debut as a 19-year-old against Cameroon in 1997.
At the time he was the youngest defender to represent England, before Micah Richards broke his record in 2006.
