Rio Ferdinand aims 'used to carry my wash bag' joke at Jamie Carragher as war of words between Man Utd & Liverpool icons escalates

Tensions between former rivals Ferdinand and Carragher flared again ahead of Manchester United's 3-2 win over Liverpool. Ferdinand posted a throwback image on social media showing himself celebrating a goal against Liverpool, with Carragher visible in the photo looking dejected. The former United captain simply captioned the image with the prompt: "Caption this," which quickly sparked a response from Carragher.

The Liverpool legend did not hold back, launching a sharp critique of Ferdinand’s media work and accusing him of seeking attention around star players during interviews. Carragher responded aggressively to the post, writing: "'Have some of that bruv, you Scouse xxxx' probably. Not like you to make sure you were in the picture of someone else’s goal. You now carry on this ritual by hanging around mixed zones bothering star players & asking your lackeys to film it!"

Ferdinand later addressed the exchange on his ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ platform after United’s win over Liverpool, admitting he was surprised by the tone of Carragher’s reply.

"Did anyone see what he wrote back to me? I thought it was really, really harsh," he said. "I thought it was really harsh. I mean, I just put a picture of us celebrating a goal. This is what happens in these games. You know, we celebrate big moments. I’ve scored a couple of goals in these games against Liverpool, but I didn’t put one I scored in. I put one I was celebrating. I love celebrating, and he tried to really hammer me. I don’t understand why. I don’t know what it is that’s rubbed him up the wrong way.

"I don’t know. He spat his dummy out. He was spitting feathers. He used to be a team-mate of mine with England. He used to carry my wash bag - I’ve said it many times. He did used to carry my boots sometimes, like when he didn’t get changed and stuff. He was in the stands.

"But I thought we’d always got on. I’ve known him since we were schoolboys. He’s going to be even more upset now, isn’t he? They’ve just been beaten. But this game affects people’s emotions. It makes people see things a bit differently. It makes them react differently, you know what I mean? I’ve been on the receiving end of games where Liverpool have been beaten. It isn’t nice - it’s a bad feeling. And today, Man United got it done."

With both men now prominent television pundits, the exchange is unlikely to be the final chapter in their long-running rivalry. Their contrasting loyalties to Man Utd and Liverpool continue to fuel sharp commentary whenever the clubs meet. United will face Sunderland in their next Premier League game, while Liverpool are set to come up against Chelsea.