Rio Ferdinand has admitted that there was no chance that he would have been able to do what one Tottenham Hotspur legend once managed after the best part of seven months on the sidelines.
Of course, there is absolutely no question that Rio Ferdinand is one of the greatest defenders the Premier League has seen. He won six league titles and a Champions League trophy.
Ferdinand would also go on to make 81 appearances for his country. But perhaps he would not have quite reached that number had it not been for the terrible luck one of his international teammates had during their own career.
Rio Ferdinand amazed by Tottenham legend
There is no doubt that Ledley King is a Tottenham Hotspur legend. King made more than 300 appearances for Spurs in all competitions, captaining the side for a number of years.
Many insist that King does not get the credit he deserves for how good he was.
His talent was undeniable. But what was almost as impressive was the way he played during the final years of his playing career while never fully fit. King would rarely train before games. But he managed to make more than 20 Premier League appearances in four of his last six seasons.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s Vibe with Five podcast, he explained how he once returned after playing once in seven months to help Tottenham beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield in May 2011. And that seemed to leave Ferdinand gobsmacked.
“There was one time, it was after the World Cup, I had a groin problem I couldn’t shake off. Every time I moved, something was doing that. Ended up having a hernia operation. I always just forced myself back as soon as I felt like I was almost ready. Sat on the bench after three months, we played in the Champions League. AC Milan, I sat on the bench. Kicking the ball in the warm-up, so I’m sitting on the bench knowing that the manager can’t bring me on. I had to tell him, of course. But that’s how much I wasn’t ready to be involved. Was out for seven months in total, trained once, went to Anfield to watch and Harry asked me to play an hour and a half before the game,” King said.
“You won 2-0? Wow! I’m going to say that I reckon there isn’t any other centre-halves other than Paul McGrath that can do that,” Ferdinand replied.
“I couldn’t have done that, I’m telling you for a fact.”
Many will wonder what could have been with Ledley King
It is such a shame that King’s career was so blighted by injury. There is a sense that the defender never got the chance to realise his full potential.
The good news is that no-one who speaks about King seems to have anything other than the highest praise for the 43-year-old.
And many of us neutrals will happily continue to wax lyrical about just how good King was, as well as how good he could have been.
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