Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has opened up about the brutal physical consequences of his decorated football career, revealing that chronic back injuries sometimes leave him unable to walk.
The 47-year-old former England captain, widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of the Premier League era, admitted that severe flare-ups have forced him into hospital and, on occasion, into a wheelchair.
Despite retiring in 2015 with six Premier League titles and a Champions League medal to his name, Ferdinand says the cost of competing at the highest level continues to affect him daily.
Speaking to Men’s Health UK, the former centre-back explained that years of playing through pain with medication and injections have caught up with him.
“I’ve had a bad back for a long time,” Ferdinand revealed.
“I’ve got injuries that I had from my career. I was on tablets and injections for six years to play games. That’s affected me.”
He went on to describe how sudden and intense the pain can be.
“I get some bad moments of back pain where I have to be in a hospital for a couple of days or in a wheelchair for a couple of days. It’s mad, but it just comes out of nowhere.”
Now based in Dubai, Ferdinand has embraced a more preventative and holistic approach to managing his body. For the first time since retiring, he is working closely with a physiotherapist and personal trainer who collaborate to manage his training and recovery.
“Rather than fixing when it’s broken, you actually prevent injuries,” he said, expressing optimism that this new routine will help reduce future flare-ups.
The move marks a major shift from the reactive treatment methods he relied on throughout his playing days.
Beyond football, Ferdinand says staying active is also about setting the right example for his children. He believes that work ethic and healthy living should be demonstrated, not just talked about.
“My kids need to see me getting up and going to work. They need to see me and my wife Kate going to the gym,” he explained.
He added that movement and fitness should feel normal to his children, not like a chore. For Ferdinand, staying productive also plays a vital role in protecting his mental health.
“When my kids talk about me, I want it to be ‘Daddy worked hard. He was a hustler.’”
Ferdinand’s relocation to the Middle East represents more than just a lifestyle change. After decades of living by football fixture lists, both as a player and a pundit, he saw the move as a chance to embrace something new.
“I look at it like an adventure,” he said.
“There aren’t many opportunities in life where you get time to step out of your comfort zone and explore something new.”
While the scars of his playing career remain, Ferdinand continues to push forward, balancing recovery, family life, and professional ambition with the same resilience that defined his years at Old Trafford.
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