Manchester United: Was Rio worth £29m?
Alex Ferguson has been full of praise for Rio Ferdinand recently (who is set to play his 200th game for Manchester United against Charlton today).
Ferguson talks about his technique, his potential, his rare moments of carelessness and his new-found maturity that has been at the heart of Manchester United’s defensive strength in the last year or so.
The most telling comment though, was this one:
“When I paid that kind of money for Rio we were looking for a return in terms of getting 10 years’ service out of him.
Well, he has been here five years now - and we are looking at 10 to 12 years in total.”
So the question now is - is Rio Ferdinand worth 29m, considering that he’s already given Manchester United around 5 years of service, and should be around for another 5? The inevitable comparisons with Gallas, Terry and Toure will be made, but also consider that Ferdinand’s price was inflated because he was the captain of a Prem club and was being bought by a team that had won so many titles in the last decade.
So, is Rio worth 29m to Manchester United?
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Discussion - 13 Responses
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Absolutely. Despite those niggling contract negotiations, he’s without a doubt one of the main reasons for our excellent campaign so far. His partnership with Vidic will most likely turn out to be one of the best defensive duo’s in the history of Manchester United. He is arguably one of the best defenders in the world at the moment, cutting his lapses in concentration down to a minimum. He outshone Terry in the World Cup, and is certain to figure in the team of the season. And in addition to his performances, he’s almost never injured!
Yes, in the last few seasons our team has look much weaker without him.
Without a doubt
Hell Yes!!! World Class!!!
The price of a player is determined by how easily replaced by another player…As far as I am concerned, you would have to look high and low to find another defender like Rio, and most probably look long and hard too…29.1mn fee? I would pay that in a flash for him…
Is the 9 month suspension factored in to the ‘5 year’s service’ equation?
are u an idiot?without him in the team, United never look as comfortable. Him and Vidic have deen a rock for United this term. why pose stupid questions when United are in pole position for the league, in both major cups and have only lost three games all season as well as having one of the best goals conceded records at this moment in the season.
THIS LITTLE SOLUTION CUTS OUT THE SUSPENSION! OR NOT
so:
29 MILLION SQUID / 200 GAMES = 145000 A GAME
REMEMBERING HIS WAGE:
70 - 100000 WAGES FOR 60 MONTHS = 5000000
5000000 / 200 GAMES = 25000
SO ITS APPROX 145000
+25000
= A MASSIVE 170000 POUNDS A GAME
APPROXIMATELY OF COURSE!!!!
yes but vidic was just a better buy at 7 mil
Most definitely-vidic represents better value for money, slightly different, dare I say it more confident and straightforward than old rio who is actually quite often prone to moments of carelessness. Vidic at 7mill was an absolute steal. Another one if newcastle can pull it off will be the Czech player at PSG, David Rozehnal.. and as far as Rio with that suspension? pointless, stupid and plain silly on so many different levels- as a united fan it was disappointing to see all of it played out with implications of recreational drug use, ‘missing the test due to house move’ (who were Rio and co kidding??).
Dunno how to put this. I don’t think any Defender is or should be worth 29mil. We were massively over-charged. But, as an investment, Rio has been worth every penny of his investment.
i thought we missed out on him when he chose to sign for leeds for 18m but he has been a brilliant addition to the squad so yes i agree
In my opinion most players arent worth what clubs pay for them, but unfortunatley thats what you need to pay to get quality players. I dont think Rio is worth nearly £30Mil but thats what Leeds wanted for him.