The Boy Done Good

I apologise to those of you who may have read this before on one of the many blogs/boards I've visited over the years but I thought about this little story this afternoon.

Back in the summer of 1996 a client of mine was invited by the Nationwide Building Society to watch the England football team training during the build-up to Euro 96. The thing was that Steve, the client, wasn't a football fan at all so he sent one of his branch managers, Graham, who, despite being a follower of Southampton, could tell the difference between Alan Shearer and Moira Shearer.

Anyway off Graham went to England HQ. The next day when Graham walked into the office, I happened to be there for the audit, he looked like the cat that had the cream. It wasn't meeting Tony Adams, Gareth Southgate or Bryan Robson (Tel's assistant) that had excited him, it was some 17 year old from West Ham. "He's the next Bobby Moore," he said, "Future England captain, put your house on it."

Well twelve years and a lot of false starts later Rio finally gets to captain his country. People talk about naturally gifted footballers and Rio is that, he's probably the closest England have had over the past decade to an Alessandro Nesta, a Marcel Desailly or, since his retirement, Tony Adams, in his ability to read the game. The trouble for Rio is that he finds it all too easy, if he had to work half as hard as John Terry does at his game he would have been captain before David Beckham ever was.

I know it's only for a friendly but I'm glad he's finally got the armband. He may not be the next Bobby Moore but he's certainly the current Rio Ferdinand.