In the preliminaries before kick-off between Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes last month, TNT Sports landed something of a coup. Having got celebrity Villa fan Prince William to agree toa pre-match interview, Rio Ferdinand and Ally McCoist were dispatched to ask His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge for his thoughts on how the game might unfold. While both former footballers have reached an age where they no longer have forelocks worthy of the name left to tug, Rio was so impressed with William’s knowledge of gegenpressing, xG and heat maps that he issued a stark warning to the heir to the throne. “Do not go into a punditry job because I could be out of the game,” he joked, as those armchair viewers the length and breadth of the country who are forced to pay top dollar for TNT subscriptions if they want to watch European football dared to dream.
While there is no evidence to suggest that Prince William subsequently sent an equerry to hand one’s curriculum vitae into the network’s personnel department in the hope of earning a place in the gantry alongside Darren Fletcher and Lucy Ward on co-comms, today it was revealed that Rio is out of the punditry game anyway. The former Manchester United defender has quit TNT after a decade’s service to focus on making YouTube videos in which he says “geezer” a lot, hawking branded snapbacks and chilling with his family. His final outing with Woodsy, Resh, Fletch, Sav, Luce, Coisty, Jules, Crouchy and Owen Hargreaves will be at the Bigger Cup final between PSG and Inter at the Allianz Arena. It is to be hoped he marks the occasion by engineering another one of those ludicrous scenarios where he makes sure the cameras are rolling before studiouslynotstepping on a club-branded carpetin a preposterously performative show of respect.
“Since retiring from football, it has been a privilege talking about the game I love for a decade for sports fans watching BT Sport and TNT Sports,” he announced in a statement on his Social Media Disgraces. “I want to acknowledge the tremendous support from the team behind the scenes, whose hard work often goes unseen but has been essential to our success. As I turn the page to the next chapter, I carry with me countless memories. I am excited about what the future holds, spending more time with my family, focusing onRio FerdinandPresents and my other business interests.”
Whether it was stating the bland and blindingly obvious at great and tedious length, repeatedly parroting “Ballon d’Or!” at the top of his voice in praise of a player who would go on to be overlooked for the award in question, or abandoning any small pretence at professionalism by reducing the commentary of a recent dramatic finale to the status of FanZone homage, Ferdinand has carved out a unique and lucrative niche in the punditry pantheon over the past decade. While TNT have yet to announce how they plan to fill the gaping void that will be left by the absence of his searing football insight and top-tier banter, subscribers can at least rest easy, safe in the knowledge that the inevitable montage of his “best bits” shown at the end of Saturday night’s Bigger Cup broadcast should be mercifully brief.
“Entries onThe Knowledgeare always worth reading, but theclip showing Jeff Astle’s tap-inagainst Leeds after an outrageous non-offside call was especially entertaining. The referee’s howler was the main feature, of course, but three cameos really made it memorable: the old chap in the St John’s ambulance uniform, chuckling away at Astle’s celebration; Don Revie showing untameable outrage by the old-school method of pursing his lips and shaking his head; and the highlight, a fleeting shot of a man in a suit, who could only be Arthur Scargill, being hauled off the pitch protesting against the injustice of it all. Glory days indeed” – Charles Antaki.
“Re Tuesday’s Football Daily, can I be amongst the first of 1,057 pedants to point out that Chelsea came fourth, not fifth” – Matthew Purchase (and 1,056 others).
Send letters tothe.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Charles Antaki. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewedhere.
Manchester United’s season just somehow got a little worse: Ruben Amorim’s side have lost 1-0 to Asean All-Stars, a team made up of south-east Asia internationals and selected players from the regional leagues, on their post-season tour of Kuala Lumpur.
Don’t worry, though, United fans: the club arepoised to sign Matheus Cunhafrom Wolves after triggering his £62.5m release clause.
Enzo Maresca said that he had no knowledge of Mykhailo Mudryk, who was provisionally suspended by the Football Association after failing a doping test last December,turning up in Wroclawbefore Chelsea’s Tin Pot final against Real Betis. “To be honest, I just … I don’t know, he is here or is coming?” queried the baffled Maresca.
Arsenal are close to signing Martín Zubimendi, one-time Liverpool target and Spain Euro 2024 hero, to further add to Mikel Arteta’s midfield options.
Predictable transfer news: Ajax’s Jordan Henderson is linked withan emotional return to Sunderland, where he again might team up with a Bellingham. The Black Cats hope to keep Jobe, amid much interest.
Arne Slotpulled out of the League Managers Association’s annual awards dinnerin London on Tuesday after theappalling incidentat the end of Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade.
Former Rangers, Liverpool and Stoke left-half, Willie Stevenson, one-time publican of the Kings Head, Macclesfield, has died at the age 85. Stevenson’s spell at Anfield included league title successes in both 1964 and 1966, the 1965 FA Cup, the first in Liverpool history. “The thoughts of everyone at Rangers are with Willie’s family and friends at this sad time”, read a Rangers statement.
No Mary Earpsbuta potential bounty of £1.7mif the Lionesses defend their Euros title this summer. Millie Bright has meanwhile confirmed her absence from the England training camp was for reasons of burnout. “I think mentally and physically I’m at my limits, which is why I’m not at camp,” sighed the Chelsea player.
Liverpool have received inquiries from Brentford, West Ham and Leedsregarding the goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleherand allowed John Heitinga to open talks with Ajax about becoming their new head coach.
And Internazionale, the scamps, will wear their third strip in Saturday’s Bigger Cup final in Munich, a golden yellow shirt with black details and black shorts combination that rather resembles Borussia Dortmund.
It’s the season’s end but you all know what that means. Yes, the transfer window is poised to fly open, and as ever Big Website has a transfer interactive for boththe womenandthe men, as well as a club-by-club guide of the transfers from the top five leagues in Europe.
If that wasn’t snazzy enough for you, have a go on our all-singing, all-dancing Premier League 2024-25 picture essay: here’sJonny Weeks’ story of the seasonin 100 photos.
Robbie Keane is a champion, as he continues his world tour of offbeat assignments by leading Ferencvaros to a seventh consecutive league title for Hungary’s footballing powerhouse. That his team held off Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban’s club, Puskas Akademia, makes for a heady brew,as Tom Mortimer reports.
Jacob Steinberg’s Tin Pot final previewlooks at how Chelsea can become the first English team to win all four European trophies – and why much of their manager’s strategy is rooted in chess.
Arsenal’s Lisbon lioness, Stina Blackstenius,is profiled by Tom Garry, retracing her steps from Linköping to Lisbon to Arsenal hero status.
“This chapter is over. The story? Still being written. Grateful to all.” What did Cristiano Ronaldo mean by that? Will he play in the Fifa Club World Cup?John Duerden wonders what happens next for CR7.
On this day in 2011, Wayne Rooney scores for Manchester United against Barcelona, becoming the sixth and last Englishman to score in a Champions League final, following Teddy Sheringham, Steve McManaman, Steven Gerrard, Sol Campbell and Frank Lampard. United would go on to lose to a Barça team Sir Alex Ferguson afterwards admitted “arethe best team we’ve faced”, as Lionel Messi and David Villa smashed the Catalan side to victory.