Rio Ferdinand Discusses His Ideal Centre-Back Partner for Manchester United

Rio Ferdinand was already a part of Manchester United when Nemanja Vidic joined, having transferred from Leeds United in 2002.

The former pundit made news by breaking the British transfer record for a second time with a £30 million move to United.

He joined Old Trafford just one season after Jaap Stam left in 2001. Although Ferdinand and Stam were never teammates, Ferdinand spoke highly of him.

In a recent episode of Manchester United’s Inside Carrington podcast, Ferdinand discussed how well their playing styles would have worked together.

“I reckon I would’ve formed the best partnership with Jaap Stam,” he said.

“Our styles would have complemented each other. He was big, strong, aggressive, on the front foot, and I would have been able to do the niceties around him.

“That would have been a good partnership,” he added.

Rio Ferdinand compares himself to Paolo Maldini while praising Jaap Stam

Stam played a key role in Manchester United’s treble-winning team of 1998-99, making a significant impact during his time at the club.

Now 53, the Dutch defender is often regarded as one of the best centre-backs in Premier League history and remains well-regarded by United fans even after retirement.

Ferdinand also noted that Paolo Maldini would have been another great partner for him in defense from any era of football.

However, he believes that teaming up with Stam would have made United very hard to beat.

“Maldini is the obvious one, but Jaap Stam, I don’t think we would have conceded many goals,” Ferdinand shared.

Stam’s time at United came to an unexpected end in 2004 after a disagreement with manager Sir Alex Ferguson, leading to his transfer to Lazio.