Leeds fans have a strong dislike for Rio Ferdinand.
The former England international jumped ship and left for bitter rivals Manchester United back in July 2022 as Leeds endured financial difficulty, famously admitting that he stubbornly sat in the office of Peter Ridsdale for six hours until a deal was agreed for him to leave.
Ferdinand said: “I fortunately was never put in a position where I had to go in all guns blazing, but trust me, if I’d needed to I would have.
“At Leeds I went and sat in Mr Ridsdale’s office and just sat there and waited for about five, six hours and said I’m not going until you sort out the deal for me to go to Man Utd.”
Despite that behaviour, Rio Ferdinand has now revealed that he has no idea why Leeds fans view him as “public enemy number one” ahead of the game at Elland Road on Sunday.
Rio Ferdinand shakes his head and rolls his eyes when speaking about how Leeds United fans perceive him
Surely, a man as experienced in football as the 47-year-old can understand why Leeds fans dislike him, but even at his age, it still somehow escapes him.
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In a video message on X (formerly known as Twitter) ahead of the clash, Ferdinand said: “When I went back there, you have to remember, I had to have a police escort. Our bus, going into Elland Road and out, had to have a police escort because the police were just worried about what was going to happen with the Leeds fans just going nuts.
“I’ve had some hostile environments, but that will have to be up there with the best in terms of hostility. Leeds know how to create a hostile environment, man. It’s crazy because I was once there helping them create hostile environments for opposition players and teams, and then I became public enemy number one.”
Why does Ferdinand, who was wrong about Dominic Calvert-Lewin, sound surprised?
Just as any Celtic fan would treat a player who left for Rangers and vice versa, and similarly to how Tottenham fans still view Sol Campbell for joining Arsenal, certain fanbases can never forgive such a controversial transfer.
Rio Ferdinand also hit out at Leeds United fans in December 2023 and claimed hatred “wrecks my head”
The way Leeds fans treat the man born in Camberwell has clearly affected him, as he even spoke on Rob Burrow’s podcast back in December 2023 to question why he is so disliked.
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Ferdinand admitted it “wrecks my head” to see fans continue to hold a grudge and said (via the BBC): “About six months to a year ago I did a game and the Leeds away fans were just in front of me. I swear to you I was taken aback by how upset and angry they still are with me. This transfer was over 20 years ago and I’m thinking, are you still upset about this?
“Unfortunately the club was run a particular way that they had to sell all of the assets. They had to sell me. I had to go. So it didn’t matter where I was going.
“I wasn’t a local Leeds lad so I didn’t really understand the rivalry. I chose to go to the best club which had the best opportunity for me to win and that was Manchester United, and that decision proved to be right because I was very successful there and won so many things. I understand the rivalry, but sometimes you’ve got to understand the situation and the context.”
It feels as if everybody else but Ferdinand understands the situation.
There is little the Londoner can do to salvage his reputation, and the sooner he accepts that, the better.
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