Rio Ferdinand achieved some special things as a footballer. He finished his career in 2015, with 81 England caps, having won six Premier League titles and a Champions League with Manchester United, not to mention two League Cups and the Club World Cup.
All of this is enough to make him one of the best defenders the English top flight has ever seen. Having reached the pinnacle of club football, the centre-back played in some pretty special stadiums during his career.
However, despite travelling across the globe, one British venue stood out in his mind as having ‘the best atmosphere’ he ever played in.
Ferdinand Blown Away by Parkhead
“I always say it, the best…”
Talking to TNT Sports, pundit Ferdinand was asked to recall which Champions League stadium left a big impression on him. He did not hesitate as he said:
“I always say it, the best atmosphere I played in was at Celtic Park. I remember before the game Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick standing in front of me and just as we were kicking off, the referee blew the whistle and the whole crowd just went ‘rahhh!’
“And I remember Carrick and Fletch looking at each other and then turning round at me and going ‘Corrrr!’ as if to say ‘Yeah, this is it. This is nice, it’s good’.”
It’s no surprise that Ferdinand was always impressed by the Celtic support. After all, he played against the Bhoys three times in his career, but only won once, drawing and losing the other two games.
|
Rio Ferdinand vs Celtic |
|
|---|---|
|
Games |
3 |
|
Wins |
1 |
|
Draws |
1 |
|
Defeats |
1 |
|
Cards |
0 |
Related
Andres Iniesta Named 60k-Seater British Stadium With an Atmosphere He’ll ‘Never Forget’
Andres Iniesta has played in a litany of incredible grounds, but there is one British stadium that the Spaniard adores.
Sir Alex Ferguson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Toni Kroos all blown away
It turns out Ferdinand is one of many players who enjoyed visiting Celtic’s 60,000-seater stadium. Fellow former Man Utd men Sir Alex Ferguson and Cristiano Ronaldo have singled it out for praise in the past. But it’s not just those familiar with British football who respect the Glasgow ground.
Indeed, Lionel Messi once called it a ‘special’ place, adding: “It is the best atmosphere in Europe and we all want to experience that again.”
Real Madrid icon Toni Kroos added to this sentiment, once naming Celtic Park as his personal ‘favourite’. He said: “I was being asked several times which (away) stadium is my favourite. And there is a new number one, I can tell you! Celtic Park. It has been just crazy! We came out, and the atmosphere was good.”
He continued: “The Champions League anthem started, and I thought the stadium was going to collapse. Unbelievable. I had never experienced anything like that.”
With all that in mind, it’s fair to say the Scottish giants have a pretty special home stadium.
Stats via Transfermarkt
About Author
You may also like
-
Newcastle Now Want to Sign £112m Star Who ‘Has Everything’ After Ekitike Snub
-
Bayern Munich make contact with Malick Fofana as Luis Diaz alternative
-
Man Utd Will Now Let ‘Fantastic’ Star Depart on Loan After Rashford
-
Olympique Marseille close to sealing loan move for Timothy Weah
-
Nottingham Forest ‘Submit First Bid’ For ‘Outrageous’ Star