Rio Ferdinand Deserves to Be Remembered as a Manchester United Great

Rio Ferdinand celebrates his career at Manchester United today with a testimonial against Sevilla.

At times it's been a rocky road since he signed for a record fee from Leeds United in 2002, but there are few supporters who will begrudge him a party.

Whether it's because he's a Londoner, or because he moved across the Pennines to sign for United, it was never love at first sight for a majority of fans.

They acknowledged the need for a centre-half during the summer of 2002—Jaap Stam had left for Lazio a year earlier and Laurent Blanc wasn't the player he once was—and that Ferdinand was one of the best around.

He stood out during England's World Cup campaign in Japan and South Korea and the financial problems that were beginning to bite at Leeds meant he was available for a price.

But despite winning the Premier League title in his first season in a team that included Juan Veron, David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Fabien Barthez, his early career at Old Trafford was plagued by injury. 

A missed drugs test in 2003 earned him an eight-month ban and he then found himself at the centre of a tapping up row involving Chelsea in 2005.

United supporters don't often turn on their own, but they loathe disloyalty. 

But Ferdinand didn't go to Chelsea—he insists he never considered it—and Old Trafford has learned to love him.

He has formed one of the most formidable central defensive partnerships in the club's history with Nemanja Vidic and his record of six Premier League titles, two League Cups, one Champions League and a World Club Cup speaks for itself.

The chants of 'Rio, Rio' from the Stretford End are more frequent now than ever. 

He's adapted his game to compensate for a slight loss of pace, and he's matured off the field too, shedding a perceived party-boy image that followed him around during the early part of his career. 

He's become an ambassador for United and for the game, speaking out against racism and homophobia in football. It seems obvious, but not everyone has the strength of character to do it.

Ferdinand might never earn a place in United's history to that of Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes. But he has played just as big a part in the club's success over the last 11 years. 

He deserves his party at Old Trafford. More than that, he deserves to be remembered as a great