“If you saw him in Sainsbury’s, you would never pick him out as a footballer” – Rio Ferdinand names best player he played with at Manchester United

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand had the privilege to play alongside multiple world-class superstars during his time at Old Trafford, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

Surprisingly, the former England defender has picked Paul Scholes as the best player he shared the dressing room with in Manchester. Rio Ferdinand said while speaking on behalf of William Hill:

“Scholesy was the best trainer, standard-wise. Every day he was always one of the top two or three trainers. Scholesy was the best player I shared a changing room with."

The former Manchester United centre-back went on to reveal Cristiano Ronaldo's position among his top teammates at Old Trafford. Rio Ferdinand explained that the Portuguese was obviously the best player on the team. However, he would give the nod to Paul Scholes because he had a better connection with him on the pitch. The Englishman continued:

"Cristiano (Ronaldo) was the best player obviously but I played right behind Scholesy so I would pass the ball to him. So, for example, I would play the ball into him at 10/15 yards and I would shout to him ‘Giggsy/Becks/Cristiano’ or someone like that. And he wouldn’t even look, he would just take a touch or play it first time at 30 yards and it would bang."

The legendary centre-back went further to explain what made Paul Scholes stand out from other world-class players at Manchester United. Rio Ferdinand said:

“I loved it, it was what made him different. Playing close to him and seeing it first-hand, set him apart from the rest, for me. He wasn’t big, he wasn’t quick, he didn’t have any of the physicality of the other top players. If you saw him in Sainsbury’s, you would never pick him out as a footballer so it shows you how good he must have been.”

Rio Ferdinand's record with Manchester United

The Englishman represented the Red Devils for12 years between 2002 and 2014. During his time at the club, Ferdinand made 455 appearances across all competitions, recording eight goals and nine assists.

The former England international claimed several trophies at Old Trafford, including one Champions League crown, six Premier League titles, three Carling Cups and one Club World Cup.