Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has revealed a shocking story of a group of men in balaclavas coming to his home in 2005 in a bid to pressure him into signing a new contract.
Ferdinand revealed that a group of die-hard United fans turned up outside his house in ‘balaclavas and hoodies’ to pressure him into signing a new contract back in 2005.
The then England international was in deep discussions with the Red Devils and manager Sir Alex Ferguson over signing a new deal at Old Trafford but the negotiations had began to lag a little.
In a bid to speed things up a group of United fans thought the best course of action was to approach Ferdinand directly at his home – in balaclavas.
Speaking on his FIVE YouTube channel, Ferdinand revealed that: ‘I was in my house one day and all of a sudden the bell rings. And someone put their hand over, so I couldn’t see the actual camera, couldn’t see who was on it.
‘So I jumped on the wall next to my gate, looked over the gate and there’s about 10, 15 people there – guys with balaclavas and hoodies on.
‘I’m thinking, “What, they’ve come to rob my house?” And then, luckily, one of them shouted, “Just sign the contract!”‘
The former England international said he felt relief when he realised the gang were only at his home for something football related and not to burgle his home but nonetheless he was not impressed.
The then United defender said: ‘I got a bit of confidence thinking, “They’re not going to rob my house, it’s just about the football,
‘I said, “What you coming to my house for? If I followed your missus home and sat outside your house and waited outside with all my mates, would you be happy? No you wouldn’t. Don’t come to my house – you don’t go to Becks’ [David Beckham’s] house or Roy Keane’s house, but you’re coming here? What’s wrong with you?”
Having confronted the men and calming the situation down, Ferdinand told the group “At the end of the day, I’m gonna re-sign, I’m gonna stay. I don’t want to go nowhere else, but I’m negotiating – let me negotiate.”‘
Re-signing was a smart decision it turns out as the United defender went on to win 14 trophies at Old Trafford collecting six Premier League winners medals and the Champions League title in 2008.