Rio Ferdinand Snubs Ronaldo, Benzema, Names Toughest Player He Ever Faced

In a recent interview with GOAL, Ferdinand was initially asked to choose between Ronaldo and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.

Rio Ferdinand, the world-famous Manchester United legend, has snubbed former Ballon d’Or winners Ronaldo Nazario and Karim Benzema while naming the toughest player he ever faced.

In a recent interview with GOAL, Ferdinand was initially asked to choose between Ronaldo and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.

The former England defender reminisced about facing Ronaldo in 2002-03 when the Brazilian scored a memorable hat-trick at Old Trafford.

Despite this, Ferdinand picked Arsenal icon Dennis Bergkamp over Ronaldo.

Also, he bypassed former Ballon d’Or winners Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in favour of Bergkamp.

Ultimately, Ferdinand declared that Real Madrid legend Raul stood out as “one of the hardest” players he ever faced, eclipsing all others in his list of tough opponents.