Rio Ferdinand didn't name either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo when he was asked to name his four GOAT sporting athletes.
The GOAT debate (greatest of all time) has been the cause of many heated conversations, with Messi and Ronaldo usually at the forefront of the discussion.
Ferdinand played alongside the latter for six years at Old Trafford before his move to Real Madrid in 2009. As a former teammate, Ferdinand backed Ronaldo in the Erik ten Hag dispute until his explosive interview with Piers Morgan. ALSO READ: Antony breaks silence with interview after abuse allegations ALSO READ: United make Antony decision after abuse allegations “You can't sit here and defend that from Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said last year after the bombshell interview. “Deep down, and I know it for a fact, this has all been manufactured for one thing - and that's for him to leave the club. “This love affair with Man United that Cristiano has had is over in my eyes.
I don't feel there's any way back, I don't feel the club will take him back and I don't think that he wants to come back. “This is all manufactured for that reason.