Rio Ferdinand--Five Star--The Biography Read Online Free PDF

‘I alwayswanted to be the centre of attention. I loved singing, dancing, acting.’ When Rio was 13 his school put on a performance of the musical
Bugsy Malone
and he was given the role of Fizzy, the man who swept up the floor of a speakeasy. It was Rio’s first opportunity to sing on stage and he belted out a number called ‘Tomorrow’. He explained: ‘To me Fizzy was the top man and I had to sing that song. I couldn’t wait.’
    So Rio, complete with a flat cap, braces and boots, immersed himself in the role of Fizzy the sweeper-up. (Ten years later he would face a lot of ribbing from teammates about that first-ever role as a sweeper!)
    This is what Rio – in the role of Fizzy – sang to his beautiful leading lady, Velma:
    A resting place for bums
    A trap set in the slums
    But I know the score
    I won’t take no for an answer
    I was born to be a dancer.
    Rio never forgot the standing ovation he got from the audience at the end of that night. ‘It was wicked, wicked. That ovation just went on and on.’ It sent a shiver of excitement up his spine. I want some more of that, he thought to himself.
    His classmate and pal Mark Atkinson also never forgot Rio’s stage debut: ‘I remember one scene where Rio had to wipe my shoes. That’s not likely to happen again, is it?’
    But Rio’s love of acting sparked a more down-to-earth response from his great friend Gavin Rose: ‘Let’s just say Rio picked the right career in football.’
    At Bluecoat, Rio was teased mercilessly about his haircut,as classmate Tanya Saunders recalled: ‘We used to call him Bart Simpson because of his high hair.’ Others said it was very similar to the hairstyle of world-famous boxing promoter Don King.
    Rio and Gavin Rose often travelled to the school in Blackheath together from their homes on the Friary Estate. Gavin explained: ‘We never had the right bus pass, so we’d quickly flash our passes in front of the driver. Once a bus inspector came on the bus and, when he saw our passes weren’t valid, he held up the entire bus for about an hour. The same thing happened on the train one December. The inspector said he would lock us up over Christmas. I remember Rio’s face! Then he threatened to call Rio’s mum and Rio kept saying, “She won’t be in! She won’t be in!”’
    Dave Goodwin’s daughter, Daniella, never forgot the day she went to a local fair with Rio. ‘We were about 13 and I had this handbag which was my pride and joy. Anyway, when we came off a ride, Rio said he was going to be sick immediately, so I had to empty my prized possession for Rio to be sick in. Later Rio bought me a beautiful Prada handbag to make up for that.’
    She also discovered Rio had a passion for window-shopping. ‘He came to Lewisham Centre with me because I had £15 to spend. He didn’t have any money, but he came around all the shops helping me choose what to wear. He got his own back years later when me and my mum sat in a shop for three hours while four people fussed around helping him choose suits.’
    Rio was undoubtedly very popular with the girls and could talk to them with ease, unlike most boys of his age. Many put that down to the influence of his mum. His school friends also recall that he was still seeing Latifah throughout this period. Tanya Saunders explained: ‘Riodated Latifah for two years and she was very beautiful, a trophy. He was very sweet with her. He always showed girls a lot of respect, even though he liked to give you a cheeky grin. The girls were keen on him and he didn’t mind. But he was very loyal.’
    Mark Atkinson also remembers Rio being very popular with the girls. ‘They were always hanging around him.’ And another classmate, Yung Chu, recalled: ‘Rio loved pretty girls and he had more success than most of us.’
    Meanwhile, at the local league matches on