Rio Ferdinand Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Rio Ferdinand is an English former professional soccer player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders ever to have been produced by the country. During his storied club career, he had represented the top-flight English clubs West Ham United (1995-2000), Leeds United (2000-2002), Manchester United (2002-2014), and Queens Park Rangers (2014-2015). With West Ham United, he had won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1999. With Manchester United, he had won the Premier League title 6 times (2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13), the FA Community Shield 4 times (2003, 2007, 2008, 2011), the Football League Cup twice (2005–06, 2008–09), the UEFA Champions League in the 2007–08 season, and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2008. At the international level, he had been capped 81 times by England and had been selected in 4 successive FIFA World Cup squads (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010; although he had to miss out in 2010 due to an injury). He had retired from the sport in May 2015 and was inducted into the ‘English Football Hall of Fame’ in 2016.

Born Name

Rio Gavin Ferdinand

Nick Name

Ferdz

Sun Sign

Scorpio

Born Place

King’s College Hospital, Camberwell, Lambeth, London, England, United Kingdom

Residence

London, England, United Kingdom

Nationality

Education

Rio had attended the Camelot Primary School and the Blackheath Bluecoat School, both in London. When he was 11 years old, he had earned a scholarship to join the Central School of Ballet in London. He had attended classes there, 4 days a week, for 4 years.

Occupation

Professional Soccer Player (Retired)

Family

• Father – Julian Ferdinand (Former Tailor)
• Mother – Janice Lavender (Former Child Care Employee) (d. July 13, 2017)
• Siblings – Anton Ferdinand (Younger Brother) (Professional Soccer Player (Retired))
• Others – Peter St. Fort (Step-Father), Sian Ferdinand (Half-Sister), Remi Ferdinand (Half-Sister), Chloe Ferdinand (Half-Sister), Anya Ferdinand (Half-Sister), Jeremiah Ferdinand (Half-Brother), Lesley Ellison (Ex-Mother-in-Law), Stephen Ellison (Ex-Father-in-Law), Les Ferdinand (Cousin) (Professional Soccer Manager, Professional Soccer Player (Retired)), Kane Ferdinand (Cousin) (Professional Soccer Player), Phil Wright (Father-in-Law), Jacqueline Wright (Mother-in-Law)

Manager

He is represented by Jake Mallen, Manager and Booking Agent, New Era Ingenious Ltd., London, England, United Kingdom.

Shirt Number

• 21, 5, 12, 14 – England
• 15 – West Ham United
• 29 – Leeds United
• 6, 5 – Manchester United
• 5 – Queens Park Rangers

Playing Position

Defender (Centre-Back)

Build

Athletic

Height

6 ft 2 in or 188 cm

Weight

84 kg or 185 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Rio has dated –

1. Kirsty Gallacher
2. Naima Belkhiati
3. Abi Titmuss
4. Tslil Sela – Rumor
5. Holly McGuire (1999–2004)
6. Emma Bunton (1999–2000)
7. Rebecca Ellison (2001–2015) – Rio had started dating former fitness trainer Rebecca Ellison in 2001. They got engaged in July 2007 and were married in 2009. They had 3 children together – 2 sons named Lorenz Ferdinand (b. 2006) and Tate Ferdinand (b. 2008), and a daughter named Tia Ferdinand (b. 2011). The couple was together until Rebecca’s death, due to breast cancer, on May 2, 2015.
8. Lauren Alcorn (2001-2007)
9. Sarah Whatmore (2002)
10. Roberta Whitney (2002)
11. Tatiane Rosalino (2002)
12. Louise Glover (2004)
13. Francoise Boufhal (2009)
14. Kate Wright (2017–Present) – Rio began dating reality TV star Kate Wright in 2017 and the couple got married on September 27, 2019. In June 2020, Kate and Rio announced that they were expecting their first child together. They welcomed a son named Cree on December 18, 2020. The couple suffered a miscarriage in July 2022. In January 2023, it was revealed that they were expecting their 2nd child together. On July 10, 2023, they were blessed with a baby girl named Shae Ferdinand.

Race / Ethnicity

Multiracial (Black and White)

He is of African-Saint Lucian descent on his father’s side and Irish descent on his mother’s side.

Hair Color

Dark Brown

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Toned physique
• Towering frame
• Close-cropped hair
• Sports a rugged beard

Brand Endorsements

He had been sponsored, during his playing days, by the sportswear manufacturing giant Nike.

Rio Ferdinand Facts

1. When Rio had made his senior international debut for England in 1997, in a game against Cameroon, he had set the then-record for being the youngest defender to represent England.
2. When he was signed by English club Leeds United, in November 2000, for a fee of £18 million, he had set the then British record for a soccer player’s transfer fee. The sum had also made him the world’s most expensive defender at that time.
3. In September 2003, while playing for Manchester United, he had missed a drug test due to which he was banned from competitive soccer for 8 months. The punishment had not only cost him a significant chunk of the domestic and European club season in 2004, it had also caused him to miss the Euro 2004 international competition.
4. This was just the start of a cursed relationship with the tournament for him as England had failed to qualify for the 2008 edition of the tournament and he was controversially left out of the squad for the 2012 edition. This meant that he never got a chance to represent England at the competition despite such a long and prolific career.
5. In December 2009, he founded the Live the Dream Foundation charity with the aim to provide education and employment opportunities for children.
6. In October 2014, Rio was charged by the FA for using offensive language on Twitter, after he had referred to the mother of a critic as a “sket”. He was reportedly fined £25,000 for the offense and was also banned from playing for three games.
7. In September 2017, he had announced that he had decided to become a professional boxer, primarily to cope with the death of his wife 2 years earlier; a tragedy that had pushed him to announce his retirement from competitive soccer. He quit boxing in May 2018 though, after the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) refused to grant him a professional boxing license.
8. In August 2020, Rio admitted to speeding on the A27 at Hangleton in Hove and was later banned from driving for 6 months. He had reportedly driven at 85 mph and was fined £822.
9. Rio was appointed ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)’ during the 2022 Birthday Honours.
10. For his performances in the English club scene, he was included in the PFA ‘Premier League Team of the Year’ 6 times (2001–02, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2012–13). He was also included in the FIFPro ‘World XI’ for the 2007–08 season.
11. In April 2023, it was revealed that Rio’s son Lorenz had temporarily moved out of their home to live with another family.

Featured Image by Rio Ferdinand / Instagram