Ferdinand started his professional career at West Ham United in 1996, when he played his first match against Sheffield Wednesday. The next season saw him becoming a fan favourite and winning the player of the year for West Ham United.

November 2000 saw Ferdinand move to another English club, Leeds United for a transfer fee of ₤18 million which made him the costliest defender in the world. He lost the title later to Lilian Thuram in 2001. He kept climbing the rankings and became the captain of Leeds United in 2001.

2002 saw Rio move to another English club, Manchester United. The transfer fee this time was a staggering ₤33 million. He got his title of most expensive defender back from Lilian Thuram.

The first season was no where next to what Ferdinand would have thought of. Real Madrid showed the world Manchester United’s defensive vulnerability in 2003 Champions League edition.

Later that year saw Ferdinand miss or say skip a drug test. Due to which he was penalized by FA for 8 months which made him lose the whole of the remaining season and the start of the next season.

Coming from suspension, Ferdinand showed his capabilities when he scored his first goal against Wigan. He soon became a specialist goal scorer through corners.

The final of Champions League 2008 saw Ferdinand lead the side and later lift the trophy alongside Ryan Giggs as Giggs captained the team for most of the season.