Ferdinand: Social media is so intrusive
Rio Ferdinand has said there is “no way” that some players of his generation would have been able to cope with the relentless scrutiny that is faced by modern footballers on social media.
Ferdinand, the former Manchester United and England defender, said footballers must be more thickskinned now than ever because of the intensity of the attention and criticism online.
Speaking at The Telegraph’s Business of Sport conference, Ferdinand said he believed the invasiveness of social media had resulted in players even checking their mobile phones during the half-time break of top matches.
“When I played, you had to wait until Match of the Day and then read the newspaper the next day,” said Ferdinand, who won six Premier League titles with United between 2003 and 2013.
“Now you are getting judged and critiqued by the second, and that is the big difference. A footballer nowadays has to have that thick skin to be able to deal with that. I am sure there are players now who are looking at it during half-time.
“I speak to people in my era who say there is no way they could play today. There is no hiding place now.
“I think the players understand it. They are social media savvy. Players think if they don’t get online now, that would be a loss of four or five thousand followers they need for commercial opportunities.”
Ferdinand was joined at the conference by Frank Lampard, his former international team-mate, who called on England manager Gareth Southgate to pick younger players, such as Ruben Loftuscheek, for this summer’s World Cup in Russia.
“We have a lot of exciting young players,” Lampard said. “We have a bit more direction about us at the FA now. The FA has realised that we dropped the ball and Spain and Germany picked it up.”
Ferdinand added that young players brought much-needed “freshness” to the squad during international breaks. This week, Jermain Defoe revealed that he was so bored at the 2010 World Cup that he found himself watching a DVD of Wayne Rooney’s wedding.
Ferdinand, who urged Southgate to pick Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-arnold, said: “Younger players are happy to be there, they bring freshness to the squad. There will be dull moments in the tournament, but they brighten it up.”