Rio Ferdinand retires: We look at the former England captain's career highs and lows

Following Rio Ferdinand’s retirement from football at the age of 36, we look back at the highs and lows of the former England captain’s career.

The defender played for West Ham, Bournemouth, Leeds, Manchester United and Queens Park Rangers over almost two decades, picking up six Premier League titles, one Champions League crown and 81 caps for his country. 

He made 504 Premier League appearances - the joint-10th highest of all-time - and won an impressive 54 per cent of the matches he was involved in: 291 of his games ended in three points, 110 in a draw and just 103 in defeat.

Following his announcement on Saturday, former team-mates and other professionals paid tribute to Ferdinand and his 18-year stint.

His final club as a player, Queens Park Rangers, said: “All the best to @rioferdy5 following his retirement from football”, while West Ham – his first club – tweeted: “West Ham United’s thoughts remain with Academy graduate and @england great @rioferdy5 on his retirement.”Following his announcement on Saturday, former team-mates and other professionals paid their respects to Ferdinand and his impressive 18-year career.

Gary Neville, who played with Ferdinand for club and country, gave his view: “Congratulations to @rioferdy5 on his great career. Best I played with and best pairings I've seen with Vida/JT. Covered me very well too!”

Michael Owen, another of Ferdinand’s many team-mates, said: “What a player he was, absolute Rolls Royce.”

Here are the highs and lows of his professional career:

HIGHS

Impressive start

Having made his West Ham debut at 17, Ferdinand quickly established himself in the first-team and was named Hammer of the Year at the end of the 1997/98 season at just 19.

First England cap

On November 15, 1997, a week after his 19th birthday, Ferdinand became the youngest defender to play for England when he made his debut against Cameroon at Wembley. Micah Richards has since broken that record, making his debut aged 18.

Record breaker

Ferdinand made a British record £18million move from West Ham to Leeds in November 2000. He then joined Manchester United for £29.1m in 2002 after a stellar World Cup, becoming the world's most expensive defender.

League medals

He won the first of his five Premier League medals in 2003 as United finished five points clear of Arsenal. Ferdinand went on to win league titles with United in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.

Glory in Europe

Ferdinand captained United to a 2008 Champions League final victory over Chelsea after a penalty shoot-out in Moscow.

Named England skipper

In February 2010, England vice-captain Ferdinand was promoted when John Terry was stripped of the job by Fabio Capello following allegations about the Chelsea defender's private life.

LOWS

Champions League pain

He captained Leeds as they lost 3-0 to Valencia in their Champions League semi-final second leg, after a goalless first leg at Elland Road.

Missed drugs test

Ferdinand was reported to the FA in October 2003 for failing to attend a drugs test. He was hit with a £50,000 fine and banned for eight months, which ruled him out of Euro 2004.

World Cup woe and loss of armband

The stopper was ruled out of the 2010 World Cup a week before the tournament after injuring ligaments in his left knee in training. With Ferdinand injured, Terry was reinstated as England captain on a permanent basis in March 2011 ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales.

Champions League final losses

He was unable to add to his sole European Cup winners' medal - losing two finals - both to Barcelona. United lost 2-0 in Rome in 2009 and 3-1 at Wembley in 2011.

Euro pain again

England failed to qualify in 2008, but in 2012 Ferdinand seemed certain to finally appear at a European Championship. However, new manager Roy Hodgson left him out of his 23-man squad.

Twitter storms

In 2012, Ferdinand was fined for an improper comment on Twitter after the defender testified in favour of John Terry during his court case with Rio's brother Anton.

Ferdinand again found himself in hot water in October 2014 when he replied to a critical tweet with an offensive, slang term - picking up another fine and also receiving a three-match ban, a punishment Ferdinand labelled “ludicrous”.

Forgettable end at Old Trafford

Having collected 16 major winners' medals with Manchester United, Ferdinand's final season with the club was a disappointing one - under David Moyes, United ended the season empty-handed and down in seventh in the Premier League.

Bows out after QPR stint

Ferdinand started all seven of Rangers' first Premier League games after again linking up with Harry Redknapp - but the R's took only four points and Ferdinand lost his place in the side as Redknapp changed the shape of his team. Ferdinand was released following Rangers' relegation from the Premier League but he was absent in the closing stages of the campaign after suffering personal tragedy, his wife, Rebecca, losing her battle with cancer.

"After 18 years as a professional footballer, I now feel it's the right time for me to retire from the game that I love," he said in a statement. 

"As a 12-year-old boy, kicking around a football on the Friary Estate in Peckham, I never dreamt that I would play for my boyhood club West Ham, captain Leeds United, win the Champions League with Manchester United, or re-join my
first manager Harry Redknapp at Queens Park Rangers.

"I will always regard the 81 times that I played for England, with immense pride. These are all treasured memories that will last a lifetime.

"I'd like to thank and pay tribute to my wife Rebecca and my family, including my mother and father, for their sacrifices, their encouragement and their advice throughout my career.

"And finally, I'd like to thank all the fans from all the clubs - for without them professional football would not exist. I will miss each and every one of you on my Saturday afternoons."