England head into this summer’s World Cup as one of the favorites to win under manager Thomas Tuchel, but Rio Ferdinand has been open about the atmosphere of the Three Lions team during his playing days.
Rio Ferdinand reveals his England career (Image: Rio Ferdinand Presents/YouTube)
Rio Ferdinand has opened up about the “hate” he had with Steven Gerrard during their time with England. The Manchester United and Liverpool star shared the majority of his playing career on the international stage.
Ferdinand made 81 appearances for the Three Lions between 1997 and 2011, while Gerrard won 114 caps for England between 2000 and 2014. Despite their talent, they were unable to end the country’s long wait for a major trophy.
According to Ferdinand, the reason was the animosity between United and Liverpool, which leaked into England’s dressing room and led to conflicts, particularly between Gerrard and the defender.
He told The Times: “Steven Gerrard didn’t like me and I didn’t like him very much either. There was animosity between us and our teams (Manchester United and Liverpool) but I’ve put all that aside now.”
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This is not the first time Gerrard and Ferdinand’s feud has been discussed. The pair also met together last year to discuss their time in the England camp.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, the Liverpool icon said: “I think we’ve all been selfish losers because if you watch TV now and you see (Jamie) Carragher sitting next to Paul Scholes in this fan debate, it looks like they’ve been best mates for 20 years.”
“And when you look at the relationship between Carragher and Gary Neville, they look like they’ve been friends for 20 years. They’re probably closer and friendlier to you now than they were when they played together for 15 years.”
Rio Ferdinand then smoothed things over (Image: Getty Images)
“So why didn’t we connect when we were 20, 21, 22, 23? Is it ego? Is it rivalry? Why are we all mature enough now, closer and more connected at our stage in life?
“Why didn’t we connect as England team-mates at that time? And I think it was because of the culture within England that we all never connected. We all stayed in our rooms too much. We weren’t a team.”
There is no doubt that England will be hoping for a better atmosphere this year as they aim to win their second World Cup. The Three Lions will face Croatia, Ghana and Panama in the group stage.
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