England

Rio Ferdinand Is As Close To Perfect As You Can Get – David Beckham

Becks backs defender to bounce back...

Oct 18, 2009 6:33:25 PM

England midfielder David Beckham is all smiles as he answers questions from the media

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England midfielder David Beckham is all smiles as he answers questions from the media

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By Gill Clark

David Beckham has leapt to the defence of under-fire centre-back Rio Ferdinand hailing the Manchester United man as “exceptional” and “close to perfect”.

The Red Devil has come in for scrutiny after a series of error-strewn displays for both club and country, but the Los Angeles Galaxy man insists he has no doubts over Ferdinand’s quality.

"Mistakes happen in games. You all make mistakes and nobody is perfect," he told the News of the World.

"But Rio is as close to perfect as you can get. John Terry and him at the back are exceptional players."

The midfielder also insisted that the defender was a strong character and would come through this difficult period in his career.

"Rio's a tough player - mentally and physically. At Manchester United he's got a manager looking after him and the fans will do their part, too," added Beckham.

"You do go through criticism but there's no way Rio's going to crumble under any criticism because he's too strong a character and a player to do that. Sometimes you make one mistake and people jump on you and expect more of you. I've no doubt Rio will come through it."

The 34-year-old also admitted that he was hopeful of making it onto the plane for next summer’s World Cup finals, despite losing his place in Fabio Capello’s starting XI, concluding: "I'll work hard to try and give myself the chance of a place in the squad."