Rio Ferdinand, who announced his retirement on Saturday, has named Sir Alex Ferguson as the greatest British manager of all time.
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Manchester United legend Ferdinand announced his decision to quit the game on Saturday, having been released by Queens Park Rangers earlier in the week [via BBC Sport].
As well as a distinguished career with England, the centre-back also featured for West Ham United and Leeds United. Despite playing under the likes of Harry Redknapp, Kevin Keegan, Fabio Capello, Glenn Hoddle and Sven-Goran Eriksson, the ex-defender has celebrated one of his previous coaches above all others.
“Winning trophies over my 13 years at Manchester United allowed me to achieve everything that I desired in football,” the 36-year-old began, speaking to the Express.
“From a young child to today, that was all I cared about. None of that would have been possible, without the genius of one man, Sir Alex Ferguson.
“His greatest accomplishment in my eyes will always be how he developed us as men, not just as footballers.
“He will in my opinion, always be the greatest manager in British football history.”
Ferdinand, who moved to United from Leeds in 2002, played under Ferguson for 11 years before the manager’s decision to retire in 2013.
He will look back on a career that saw him win the Champions League, six Premier League titles and 81 England caps.
Despite his magnificent previous success, it has been a difficult year for Ferdinand.
The stopper endured relegation with QPR—for whom he played 11 times this season—and also tragically lost his wife Rebecca to cancer on May 1 [via Hello].