Rio Ferdinand: “You have to give credit to the people behind the Real Madrid ship”

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who is now a pundit for BT Sport, spoke to the Daily Mail after Real Madrid beat Liverpool by three goals at Anfield to take a heavy lead into the 2nd leg at the Bernabeu.

Ferdinand, who was eliminated by Real Madrid in the 2002-2003 Champions League when he was a Manchester United player, was impressed with how the ‘higher ups’ have built the squad.

“You look at this team from past seasons and you think that they are another year older,” Ferdinand said. “Benzema, Kroos, Modric. You think that it is going to be tough... They have also lost Casemiro.

“But the signings of the last two years, from the Galactico era to the incorporation of young players and their development, such as Vinicius, Rodrygo, Camavinga — these players now look like real players in the Champions League.

“They have developed over time. Patience while adding to a team that continues to win. You have to give credit to the people behind the ship.”

Ferdinand also gave his analysis of the match. He felt there was a clear gap between the two sides at Anfield.

“The clear class difference between Real Madrid and Liverpool was demonstrated,” Ferdinand explained. “You have a team that looks like it’s going down, compared to another team that looks like it’s still going up and improving.”